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A Perfectly Messed-Up Story by Patrick McDonnell Book Review

A Perfectly Messed-Up Story by Patrick McDonnell
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Release Date: October 17, 2014

Whoever is reading this book is a very messy person. They have spilled peanut butter AND jelly all over the pages. And what is the point of telling a story if it isn't perfect?

There has been a plethora of audience participation type picture books lately and I absolutely love them. I think kids do too. This may be personal bias as I have always had a thing for The Monster At the End of This Book, but as a kid I loved the idea that my book may be talking directly to me. Coincidentally, I also loved Choose Your Own Adventure stories and The Neverending Story. Artistically, this is a great example of mixed media with the McDonnell using real pictures over his illustrations. Story wise, this is an anti-perfectionism book. As a perfectionist myself, I think it is an incredibly important message to convey to children that not everything can be perfect, but that is okay. The story may still be good even if it isn't perfection.

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