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Imperfectly Perfect

Book Synopsis

A thought-provoking picture book inspired by the idea that there is beauty to be cherished in imperfection.

What is imperfectly perfect?

It’s a flower growing from a cracked pavement.
It’s the memory of a happy time, etched in a wrinkled smile.
It’s taking something broken, mending it with love,
and making something new. Something unique.
Beautiful. And imperfectly perfect.

A story that cherishes beauty in imperfection.

With a lyrical, meditative text from Perry Emerson and stunning illustrations from the wonderful Hoang Giang (The Christmas Department Store) this book explores what it means to be perfect through the eyes of a little girl at a tumultuous time in her relationship with her older brother. With a powerful message that lingers beyond the final page, Imperfectly Perfect encourages readers to embrace imperfection, whether in physical objects or in a more metaphorical way, as part of the unique beauty of the world around us. This uplifting picture book is the ideal companion for readers of The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires, What Do You See When You Look at a Tree? by Emma Carlisles and The Station Cat by Stephen Hogtun.

Our Review Panel says...

A beautiful picture book about finding beauty in imperfection.

Maria damages her brother’s favourite book by accident and Bea helps her understand that there are lots of ‘imperfectly perfect’ things in the world. The illustrations are lovely to look at and really detailed – I loved finding all of the ‘imperfectly perfect’ things as I was reading the book, such as a wrinkled smile, a cracked bowl mended with gold tape or flowers growing through cracks in the pavement.

This is a great story to support younger children with the understanding that sometimes things get damaged and accidents happen, but also a message to older children that things don’t always have to be perfect to be beautiful. I think this book would be great inspiration for some poetry about ‘imperfectly perfect’ things and could be used by all year groups in primary schools.

This book is available on these booklists:

Imperfectly Perfect

imperfectly perfect

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Does the book contain anything that teachers would wish to know about before recommending in class (strong language, sensitive topics etc.)?

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