About the Holiday

A new book in a favorite series is always something for readers to celebrate. Today, I’m thrilled to be launching the book tour for the fifth installment in Anna Kang’s and Christopher Weyant’s beloved You Are (Not) Small series, starring two fuzzy friends who take on life’s lessons with humor and friendship. We’re also beginning Get Caught Reading Month, which promotes the fun of reading for all ages and encourages people to set aside a special time each day to read. To join in the fun, you can take a picture of yourself reading and share it using #GetCaughtReading. Why not get started with today’s book?

I received a copy of It Is (Not) Perfect from Two Lions for review consideration. All opinions are my own. I’m happy to be teaming with Blue Slip Media and Two Lions ina giveaway of the book. See details below.

It Is (Not) Perfect

Written by Anna Kang | Illustrated by Christopher Weyant

Two fuzzy friends are at the beach, building a sandcastle. It has two bucket-shaped turrets, a trio of shell decorations, and a low wall around it. The orange friend happily declares, “It is perfect!” But his purple companion looks at the castle askance and says, “It is not perfect.” If only it had flags then it would be perfect. But for the orange fuzzy creature, the flags only emphasize how short the castle is.

With a little extra sand patted into a cone on top of each turret, the castle is now perfect. Until…. Two beachgoers passing by think the castle could use some improvement. The blue fuzzy one gives it a good examination and decides the wall “is too small.” Orange fuzzy and purple fuzzy look on with disappointment and distress. They bring in more sand and dig furiously until the blue fuzzy judge finds it to be “perfect!”

But not so fast. Other beachcombers have more suggestions. Lots of suggestions. Purple fuzzy and orange fuzzy go to work. They dig, they sculp, they decorate. And when the flag is finally ploinked down on the tallest tower, everyone shouts in jubilation, “IT IS PERFECT!” Everyone gathers around the castle to take a picture just as… “SPLASH! CLICK!”… the castle is reduced to little more than a mound. But it’s nothing that a little patting, a couple of shells, a seaweed flag, and two delicious rainbow snow cones can’t make “Perfect. Truly.”

The latest book in Anna Kang’s and Christopher Weyant’s best-selling series examines a difficult conundrum: when is a work of art perfect? As the orange and purple fuzzy friends put the finishing touches on their sandcastle, happy in its perfection, niggling doubts come to the fore, causing them to reconsider if their creation couldn’t be just a little more…perfect. When others begin chiming in with their suggestions to make the castle bigger and “better,” these two friends go to work to improve it. While the result is a sensational, award-worthy spectacle, when a wave wipes it out, the two friends are just as happy with their original effort. For kids who may struggle with their inner critic or yielding to others’ opinions, this story humorously encourages them to stay true to their vision.

Anna Kang’s sparse text, conveyed entirely through short sentences of realistic dialogue, is funny and relatable as the crowd grows bigger and each person has their own suggestion for improvement. Readers may want to jump in themselves and talk about how they would build their own sandcastle. Kang’s superb storytelling is paired with Christopher Weyant’s expressive characters to create a fast-paced and entertaining page-turner.

As each iteration of the sandcastle brings smiles and then furrowed brows of doubt to the two fuzzy characters, readers will recognize feelings they may have about things they create or do. Add in the beachgoers, and the issue gets even more muddied. One enormous voice in the crowd will have kids giggling and wanting to hear it again and again. Weyant’s images of the purple and orange fuzzy friends furiously digging and patting, planning and decorating under the watchful eye of the group ramps up the suspense for the final reveal.

The rogue wave is sure to bring cringes and cries of “Oh no!,” but the resulting photo will elicit laughs. As the people disperse after the castle is destroyed, kids will understand that their interest was only fleeting while the orange and purple fuzzy characters’ friendship is forever. The final pages provide a sweet sense of satisfaction. While the final castle was a thing of beauty, it’s momentary perfection is nothing compared to the perfect day the two fuzzy characters spend together.

A delightful book for emergent and beginning readers to enjoy on their own as well as for dramatic read-alouds, It Is (Not) Perfect is a must for home, classroom, and public library collections.

Ages 3 – 7

Two Lions, 2020 | ISBN 978-1542016629

Anna Kang and Christopher Weyant are the creators of Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winner You Are (Not) Small as well as series titles That’s (Not) Mine, I Am (Not) Scared, and We Are (Not) Friends. They also wrote and illustrated Eraser, Can I Tell You a Secret?, and Will You Help Me Fall Asleep? Christopher’s work can also be seen in The New Yorker, and his cartoons are syndicated worldwide. This husband-and-wife team lives in New Jersey with their two daughters and their rescue dog.

You can connect with Anna Kang on

Her website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

You can connect with Christopher Weyant on

His website | Facebook | Instagram | Twitter

It Is (Not) Perfect Book Tour Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-bringing-the-outside-in-painted-pails-craft

Personalized Painted Pail

A trip to the beach isn’t complete without a pail to make a sandcastle with or to collect shells, seaweed, sea glass, or other things in. But why should all the cool stuff be on the inside? With this craft you can decorate your pail to show your unique personality!

Supplies