Perfect Petunias is a book especially for those little people who find it hard to make mistakes, designed to ’shape’ perfectionistic tendencies towards being a little more self-accepting and flexible. Loppy LAC is very worried about not doing his homework well enough. He is always focusing on what he hasn’t done rather then what he has, and he becomes very frustrated. So, his friend Curly teaches him about how petunias grow - in lots of different, imperfect directions that we can’t control! Loppy learns that by trying to control whether he makes mistakes or not it’s as if he’s always trying to grow ‘perfect’ petunias. Sometimes he just needs to accept that things go a certain way and to change his definition of ‘perfect’ to mean trying his absolute best. Perfect Petunias is the third book in the ‘Lessons of a LAC’ series. This gorgeous series, by an author and illustrator who are passionate about giving children ways to think about and manage common emotional difficulties, is a valuable resource for every child to help guide their emotional development.
About the book:
Loppy LAC is very worried about not doing his homework well enough. He focuses on what he hasn't done rather then what he has, and he becomes frustrated. His friend Curly teaches him a lesson about perfection by explaining how petunias grow - in lots of different, imperfect directions that we can't control! Loppy learns that by trying to control whether he ever makes mistakes is like trying to grow "perfect" petunias. Sometimes he just needs to accept that things go a certain way and "perfect" can mean trying your absolute best.
For more information about "Perfect Petunias" and Teacher's Notes and activities to do with children or students: https://ekbooks.org/product/perfect-petunias/#prettyPhoto
About the Author:
Lynn Jenkins is a clinical psychologist, author and mother of three. Lynn is passionate about early intervention in the social and emotional development of children, and has written picture books on the topics of anxiety and worry (Lessons of a LAC and Brave, and Perfect Petunias), a picture book on mindfulness called Ollie's Treasures, as well as two non-fiction titles for adults, Best Start and School Start.
Illustrator:
Kirrili Lonergan is a children’s book illustrator and mother of four. She has illustrated several picture books (Lessons of a LAC, Perfect Petunias, Brave and Dandelions) as well as created designs for clothes, prints and pottery. She is passionate about illustrating picture books that have a ‘healing’ message and has a great understanding of the need for such books as a result of her previous work as a pediatric nurse.
My Thoughts:
I feel that "Perfect Petunias" is an adorable children's book! I like that it teaches children that it's ok to be themselves and to not be perfect all the time. Our children in kindergarten and first grade really need this message today. As the Common Core standards and tests make kids believe if they aren't perfect and getting their scores above a certain level, then the kids feel that they are dumb. And sometimes, there are teachers who tell the kids this because they feel that the child should have done better, instead of encouraging them to do so. My almost nine year old knows that when she takes her STAR tests, she's only competing against herself and her own scores, not against kids in the school or her class.
"Perfect Petunias" teaches us all that we aren't perfect, and that our work isn't always going to be perfect, and that's ok. I am me. I do me, you do you! And that's ok!
Disclosure: I received one copy of "Perfect Petunias" children's book from EK Books in exchange for my post. No other compensation was exchanged or received.
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