The Perfect One

by Sue Lancaster, Rocio Caputo (Illustrator), Diego Vaisberg (Illustrator)

Cami and Isa are very different sisters.

Cami always wants to be perfect. She worries about it every single day! She follows all the rules, does all her homework on time, and never makes a fuss.

Isa, on the other hand, is confident everything she does is perfect, even when it’s most definitely not . Her drawing on the wall? Perfect. Her bowling ball bouncing into the other lane? Perfect-er.

When the two sisters face their own challenges at the first day of basketball camp, they realize there’s a lot they can teach each other. Featuring charming and humorous illustrations, The Perfect One shares gentle messaging about the importance of patience , practice , and supporting your siblings .

The perfect book for kids struggling with perfectionism, or any child that compares themselves to a sibling, The Perfect One  helps children understand there’s no such thing as perfect—just being perfectly true to you .

Mayo Clinic Press Kids creates empowering health and wellness content in partnership with pediatric experts. Proceeds from the sale of every book go to benefit important medical research and education at Mayo Clinic.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

Published February 6, 2024

Reviews

[Rosh (on a medical break) · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a Nutshell: “The perfect one” to read with children who either are or are siblings of perfectionists. Has lessons for kids as well as parents. Cute illustrations as well.

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Story Synopsis:

Cami and Isa are sisters, looking alike, even sounding alike. But do you think they are alike? Not at all! Cami is a perfectionist, always preparing for and completing any activity well in advance. Isa, on the other hand, is more of a "good enough-ist", tackling every task only at the last minute and bothering only about completion than about perfection. Which of them is doing the right thing?

Through this simple story, the book highlights the positives and negatives of each of their approaches and shows how there can be a realistic middle ground without any major compromise. A balance between 100% stress and 100% relaxation is essential for children to learn, and this book offers a practical life lesson to them in an understandable way.

Sometimes, it is children who are perfectionists. But most of the times, it is (imperfect) parents who expect children to be perfect at everything. I hope this book also instils in such parents a gentle reminder about how much stress they cause to their child by demanding perfection.

As the girls are siblings, the story also highlights how common genetics don’t guarantee matching personalities. A similar nature-plus-nurture environment can still result in diametrically opposite personalities in children. The mother in the book doesn’t compare her daughters with each other – another important point for parents to remember.

At the end of the book, there is a note from the author on what perfection means and how to recognise signs of perfectionism. This is aimed at parents as well as children. There is also a list of simple stress relieving techniques and some positive self-affirmations.

The story is written in simple prose, with 2-4 sentences on each page. Almost every page has a couple of words/phrases highlighted in bold. While many of these are accurate indicators of enthusiasm/shock, enabling readers to stress the word differently while reading aloud, the remaining highlighted words don’t really make much difference if intonated with greater stress.

I like the author’s decision to give distinct-sounding names to the siblings. Cami and Isa look similar in the book, but their names make it easy for readers to recognise who is who. I dislike books that have similar-sounding or rhyming names for siblings – they become so tricky to distinguish!

The cover art depicts how cute the illustrations are even within the pages. The personality of both sisters comes out well through the sketches. The artwork is inclusive as well – a lovely bonus.

All in all, a good story for little ones who need to find the balance between obsessive perfectionism and indifferent preparation. The book is aimed at children aged 4-6 years, but it will work well for slightly older readers too. It will be a great addition to classroom libraries as well.

This book, as with all Mayo Clinic Press Kids books, is written in partnership with paediatric experts. Proceeds from the sale of every book go to benefit important medical research and education at Mayo Clinic.

4 stars.


My thanks to Mayo Clinic Press Kids and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Perfect One”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.





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[Amanda Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute little book about two sisters with different personalities who both learn to thrive. The story is cute. The illustrations are cute. It's a perfectly fine, cute story. I didn't love it. I don't think it will be one that sticks with me. But it is a fun read that I think kids will appreciate and probably even learn from.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found myself relating to the characters in this picture book, reminding me of my own childhood. The illustrations were well done. In regards to the storyline, I was wanting just a bit more to keep the story going, as it seemed that it was too short. Overall a good read, was just wanting more from it.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Reading_ Tamishly · Rating 4 out of 5]

In a world where perfection is seemingly worshipped, this is the perfect book for a beginner young reader to start with.

While we adults know the ugly truths behind the glorification of perfect people, kids do not know what’s really going on behind the scenes of these seemingly perfect people. And we adults put pressure on the kids critically for everything they do despite knowing the fact that perfect people do not exist.

This is the book to be read and reread and discussed with the kids; how we can improve ourselves for activities with practice and how to interpret the word “perfect”.

Thank you, Mayo Clinic Press Kids, for the advance reading copy.

[Suja · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Cute little book which talks about a very important trait for both kids and adults alike !

Cami and Isa are sisters who look and sound alike. But their characters are poles part ! Cami is a perfectionist striving for perfection and punctuality in everything she does. Isa on the other hand is only about completing the task on hand at the last minute and not worried about perfection. What is right? Is it to be perfect always?

The story talks about positives and negatives of both the approaches and ends with a good message about achieving a middle ground. This applies to both kids and adults. Parents, who push their kids to be perfect can learn a valuable lesson that the child need not be perfect but can be allowed to make mistakes. End of the book has a note from pediatric pain psychologist who talks about what it means to be Perfect. This will be a great resource for parents to read and understand so that our actions will not push the kids into anxiety. The author also has listed ways to be calm and positive affirmations which will help build the morale for kids. Best part is the illustrations. The differences in personalities of the sisters shines through the drawings. All in all, a wonderful and useful read for younger kids and their parents.

My sincere Thanks to Mayo Clinic Press Kids and NetGalley for the ARC of “The Perfect One”. This review is voluntary and has my honest opinion about the book.

My rating - 4.5 rounded to 5

[Emily Erickson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Perfect One covers a topic I wish I had understood better when I was a kid: Perfectionism. It’s something I still grapple with, and I hope my three kids don’t have to to the same degree. I think that being able to read books on the topic together is a great tool for families like mine who are prone to this problem.

My kids seem to agree. When I read this with my children, my nine-year-old said he liked that it dealt with a problem we can all relate to. As for me, I appreciated that the two sisters each have a different relationship to the idea of perfect (one sister overprepares, and the other doesn’t value practice at all). The moral seems to suggest that there’s a just-right amount of effort that’s approrpatie to aim for, which rings true to me.

Ultimately, the girls’ mom affirms that perfect doesn’t really exist, which I loved. However, it was a little confusing to me that earlier in the story, the idea that practice makes perfect is reinforced, though it didn’t seem to throw off my kids at all. I also absolutely loved the resources in the back of the book (including kid-friendly mantras!).

Recommended for parents, other caregivers, therapists, and teachers looking to add to their library of pro-mental-health books for kids.

Thanks to Smith Publicity Inc. for the advance review copy.

[Theediscerning · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two twin girls go to a day school for basketball, and their different approaches to life shine through in different ways – one, the bookish, must-be-done-correctly one, is too uptight about it, and the much more lackadaisical girl actually tries more than once at something to see if she can do it. The book ends with the moral, not that you ought to find the happy medium between the two extremes of the girls, but that you only need to be "perfectly true to you", which is a bit of a debatable issue. Before then, if you can make sure of sorting the two similar girls out in your mind you see the uptight and studious and the whimsical as nicely counterbalanced, although I'd like to think we can be say 70% of each and not 50/50. There is material to close for the adults regarding perfectionism and ways to encourage taking part in the disheartened perfectionist, although while this was OK enough I think the book showed none of that stripe were involved in creating it. Three and a half stars.

[Lisa Spofford · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Perfect One by Sue Lancaster is a story about sisters with very different personalities. One worked very hard to be perfect and the other was convinced that everything thing she did was amazing. When the girls attend basketball camp everything didn’t come easily to either of them. The girls learn from each other the importance of relaxing and having fun and the importance of practicing to master something. The illustrations are vibrant and pleasing to look at and the story sends an important message in an appealing way. The book length is appropriate for a lower grade child. At the end of the book, a psychologist discusses the stress that can come from perfectionism and the potential symptoms one might see when this is the problem. She also describes how to use deep breathing to relieve stress, This is a great tool for parents of children who worry about always being perfect or who resist trying activities that they might not master right away.. I am voluntarily submitting this honest review after reading an advanced complementary copy of this book.

[Paige ✨ (paiges.on.pages) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Perfect One" by Sue Lancaster, hitting bookshelves on February 5th, 2024, is a fantastic children's read. With two sisters tackling basketball camp challenges, the story weaves in valuable lessons on patience, practice, and sibling support. The illustrations add a charming and humorous touch, and the story is perfect for kids grappling with perfectionism or sibling comparisons. The book's emphasis on being true to oneself strikes a chord, and the parent guide at the end is a great resource for deeper discussions. This would also be an excellent addition to an elementary school library. Bonus points: proceeds contribute to Mayo Clinic research and education. A win-win for both little readers and a good cause!

[Kathy Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of two sisters one who strives to be perfect at everything while the other is more nonchalant. As the two go off to basketball camp they learn from each other. Nicely illustrated with bright colors and relevant drawings. My first graders really enjoyed the story and found they could relate to each sister. We had an easy classroom discussion and shared feelings about the pressures we put on ourselves and expectations of others but also the importance of fun and play.

[booksy.tx.ana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man. This is perfect for kids. I have three kids who are all so different. (Of course.) There is always that one kid who worries so much more about things. That one who gets a little discouraged when it’s not as easy as it seems. This shows how it’s okay to react differently and not be perfect. But I liked that it showed how you can be there for each other. To help each other see it differently.

[Grace-Marie Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a perfect little book to share with a child who finds themselves worrying to be perfect. I truly wish we had books like these when I was a kid because it was easy to see the differences between perfectionism/anxiety and practicing/fun. There's a great little informational at the end of the book if kids/adults want assistance in addressing perfectionism and its anxieties.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a recovering perfectionist, this would have been an awesome book for me. I think it will be a useful resource for so many families!