Patrick McDonnell
Hachette, 2014
From the Publisher: Little Louie’s story keeps getting messed up, and he’s not happy about it! What’s the point of telling his tale if he can’t tell it perfectly? But when he stops and takes a deep breath, he realizes that everything is actually just fine, and his story is a good one–imperfections and all. McDonnell’s humour and gentle touch reminds us that it’s okay to make mistakes, that real life isn’t perfect—and that “imperfect” doesn’t mean “worse.”
Kids love that this story feels ‘spontaneous’. Messes, continued problems, and frustrations that keep adding up seem familiar to people just learning new tasks, coordination, dexterity, etc. Who are we kidding, it’s relatable to all of us klutzes of the world, and artists too! It’s an important lesson to learn that things don’t have to be perfect to be worthwhile and valuable. And neither do we!