[CALIBK12] books on perfectionism

[pamanddoug]

Hi Nadine,

I am Pam Carrie from Chapman Hills Elementary in Orange, and I love this
type of challenge.

Off the cuff, I would suggest Lois Lowry's Gathering Blue, the story of a
girl who is imperfect due to a physical disability.  Her futuristic society
would discard her, but she proves her worth through her ability to
immortalize the past with her exquisite embroidering skills.  Lois Lowry's
writing style is so concise and expressive.  I do admire her.  I wrote to
her via email, and she wrote back to say that a number of her books have
been banned (The Giver), and she appreciates her fans so much!  (My husband
listened to this title on books-on-tape, and he loved it, too...so it is not
just a girls' book.)

A second children's book that I found on the internet (but have not read)
is:  Crooked Kind of Perfect by Linda Urban.  It was published in 2007 and
was Hornbook Starred Review (2008).
                   
Summary:

Ten-year-old Zoe Elias has perfect piano dreams. She can practically feel
the keys under her flying fingers; she can hear the audience's applause. All
she needs is a baby grand so she can start her lessons, and then she'll be
well on her way to Carnegie Hall.
But when Dad ventures to the music store and ends up with a wheezy organ
instead of a piano, Zoe's dreams hit a sour note. Learning the organ
versions of old TV theme songs just isn't the same as mastering Beethoven on
the piano. And the organ isn't the only part of Zoe's life that's
off-kilter, what with Mom constantly at work, Dad afraid to leave the house,
and that odd boy, Wheeler Diggs, following her home from school every day.
Yet when Zoe enters the annual Perform-O-Rama organ competition, she finds
that life is full of surprises--and that perfection may be even better when
it's just a little off center.


On 10/24/08 8:10 PM, "nadinep at juno.com" <nadinep at juno.com> wrote:

> Here's a request I received from a fourth grade teacher. Does anyone have
> ideas?
> 
> Can you guys think of any good chapter books that focus on how people cope
> with being perfectionists?  :-)
> 
> Or possibly any non-fiction that talks about how to relieve stress for kids?
> 
> Thank you!
> Nadine Pinkerton
> Cesar Chavez Elementary
> Davis, CA
> 
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