Friday, April 13, 2012

Favorite Book Fridays: The "Perfect" Book

In my opinion, Perfect Square, by Michael Hall, is the perfect picture book. I recently discovered it and brought it home to my 4-year-old. We normally talk a lot while we are reading, but the first time I read this book to him, he sat there with a scowl on his face and didn't say a word. I loved the book and was disappointed by his reaction. After I finished, all he said was: "I really like this book. I don't want to return it to the library." Since then, we read it pretty much every night before bed. What I now realize was that the scowl was actually a very serious look of concentration, and he was just very focused.
The square has 4 equal corners and 4 equal sides. It's perfectly happy. But then someone comes along and cuts it and pokes holes in it, and it's not perfect anymore. But instead of getting all upset, it makes itself into a fountain. Each day, something different happens to it, and each day, it changes itself into something great. Eventually, the poor square sits and waits for somebody to do something to it, but nothing happens. Suddenly those 4 perfect corners and 4 perfect sides aren't so perfect after all. But don't worry; the square figures out how to be happy in spite of the rigid corners and confining sides.

LOVE. THIS. BOOK. Can you tell?

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