REVIEW: Penelope Perfect by Shannon Anderson

Summary


Penelope is a planner. Penelope is precise. Penelope is a bit of a perfectionist. When things go according to plan, her style seems to work. But when there’s a wrench in her system, Penelope isn’t quite sure what to do next.

Penelope Perfect by Shannon Anderson

Review


Penelope is my kind of girl! She has a plan. She has a chart. She’s a good, careful student. She keeps a to do list! But I have fallen into Penelope’s trap, too — perfectionism. It’s the all-or-nothing thought pattern that says less than perfect is the same as failure. Thankfully, Penelope finds some balance during the story that will help her keep her perfectionism in check.

This could be a great starting point to talk about perfectionism with kids. I’d want to be really clear that Penelope’s planning nature isn’t the issue – lists and plans work for a lot of people. The problem comes up when people are so tied to those plans that they don’t know how to shift gears when things go awry. Or they give up or quit when things don’t go the way they wanted them to. Resources for parents and teachers are included in the back matter.

Rating:♥♥♥♥

 

Saturday Smorgasbord: Children’s Literature Festival

Today I attended a local children’s literature festival. What a great time! We heard from author Shannon Anderson, author/illustrator Troy Cummings, author/illustrator Tom Watson, and author Carolyn Crimi.

Books for sale at children's literature festival

The crowd was mostly professionals – teachers, librarians, and students studying to be one or the other. There were only a few kids in the crowd, but they were the stars of the show! Both Troy Cummings and Tom Watson drew the kids in (pardon the pun) with great audience participation. And the kids loved it!

Authors and Illustrators at children's literature festival

The two author/illustrators presented like they would for school. I would recommend both highly for school visits. They related well to the kids there without talking down to them. They seemed genuinely pleased to interact with their target audience. Shannon Anderson was able to link her writing and her books to her roles as mom and elementary teacher. This was especially helpful for the teachers in the room. Carolyn Crimi spoke on the value of humor – both in books and in the classroom/library setting. She gave great, practical ideas for teachers and librarians to use.

Overall this was a great event! I am so pleased that we have such a stellar opportunity in our community for children’s literature lovers and professionals.