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Summary
Summary
From the creators of Not Little , the intrepid Dot is back with an endearing story about embracing the mistakes that let us build new skills.
Dot is good at a lot of things, but good isn't perfect. Perfect is her sister's blue-ribbon painting, or her brothers' first-place tie in the spelling bee, or her mom's black belt in tae kwon do. Dot tries and tries, but all she has to show for it is funny-looking cupcakes, off-key piano squeaks, and almost-goals in soccer. Nothing she does is perfect.
When Dot and her classmates get an assignment to make a poster about a person they admire, Dot has someone in mind right away: her best friend, Sam. But draft after draft comes out looking all wrong! How will she ever make the perfect poster for her perfect friend?
Fans of Dot and Sam and new readers alike will melt as Dot keeps on trying in this relatable companion to Not Little , featuring Maya Myers's effortless narrative voice and Hyewon Yum's irresistible illustrations.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Author Notes
Maya Myers is an author, a freelance book editor, and a former elementary school teacher. Her debut picture book Not Little , also illustrated by Hyewon Yum, was an ALSC Notable Children's Book and a Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina, with her husband, author/illustrator Matt Myers, and three daughters.
Hyewon Yum is the author and illustrator of several acclaimed books for children. Her titles include This Is Our House, The Twins' Blanket, There Are No Scary Wolves, Last Night , winner of an Honorable Mention Bologna Ragazzi Award and an SCBWI Golden Kite Award, and Mom, It's My First Day of Kindergarten! , which received the Ezra Jack Keats New Illustrator Award. She is also the illustrator of Maya Myers's Not Little . She lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her family.
Reviews (2)
Horn Book Review
Not Little (rev. 9/21) protagonist Dot is not happy about not being perfect. While her multiracial family members excel at their endeavors (sister is an artist, twin brothers are spelling bee champs, Mom has a black belt, Dad sings in a band, and: "Even my cat is perfect"), Dot bakes lopsided cupcakes, kicks too-wide goals, and plays wrong notes on the piano. At school, her best friend, Sam, shines in tidiness and rule-following, and Dot chooses him for her "person we admire" project. Frustration grows and self-esteem plummets as her portrait of Sam doesn't match what's in her head. She rips up her drawing, storms outside, angry-jumps on a trampoline, then dries her tears, gets back to work -- and arrives at a perfectly imperfect solution. This second book about Dot gives the realistic-seeming child plenty of support from nonjudgmental adults, providing time and space to solve her own problems -- and without the pressure of perfection. Spare colored-pencil illustrations with lots of white space are particularly good at reflecting Dot's feelings, from eager and hopeful to self-conscious, mad, and sad, to relaxed, contented, and proud. "'I made a lot of mistakes. It was really hard.' 'But you did it,' [Sam] says. 'That's true.' I did a little bounce of happiness. 'I did.'" Elissa GershowitzMarch/April 2024 p.73 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
A young girl strives for perfection. Dot's good at many things but isn't perfect at them. She believes her siblings and parents are perfect in various ways; even her cat's a perfect mouser. While her grandparents and soccer coach encourage her efforts, it's not good enough for her. She compares herself to her best friend, Sam, who "does everything right." One day their teacher asks each student to create a poster of someone they admire. Dot chooses her subject immediately and, naturally, wants her creation to be perfect; repeated imperfect attempts frustrate her so much that she tears her artwork up. After berating herself, Dot starts over. Next day, Sam reveals his poster of her--it's not perfect--and announces that he admires Dot's persistence. Dot then displays her portrait of Sam, made up of all those torn-up pieces. Surprise! She deems their efforts perfect. The conclusion to this story, a companion to Not Little (2021), seems abrupt and, well, imperfect. Overall, though, the protagonists are endearing and convey a reassuring message: It's OK to fail; trying is what counts. The colored-pencil illustrations are charming. Dot has light-tan skin and a brown poufy topknot. Her family is multiracial--her mother is light-skinned, her father is brown-skinned, and her siblings vary in skin tone. Sam presents Asian. Kids struggling with perfectionism will learn a valuable lesson. (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
