The Perfect Percival Priggs: A children’s picture book about perfectionism and developing a growth mindset

Does your child worry about making mistakes? Are they scared of failing, getting things wrong or getting a bad grade? Imagine reassuring your child that they don’t need to be perfect. What if you could discuss the benefits of making mistakes, of trying and failing and following what you love, even if you don’t get it right first time? That’s exactly what this picture book does. Percy has been born into a multi-talented family full of high achievers. His parents are good at everything! As he watches them win award after award, he feels enormous pressure to be perfect. He worries if he doesn’t keep up, will they still love him? One weekend, when the rocket Percy’s working on accidentally takes off, it spectacularly destroys his parents’ competition entries in one fell swoop; exploding his mother’s carefully iced cake, blowing her flower arrangement (and kitchen) to smithereens and wrecking his father’s prize-winning roses and perfectly manicured lawn. His parents are going to be furious! But when Percy apologises for not being perfect like them, his parents share a secret with him. All their mistakes and failed projects are hidden in the attic. They aren’t perfect after all! Mrs Priggs piano playing used to be so bad it made people run for the hills, she’s baked horrendous cakes and written terrible poetry. Mr Priggs has worked on experiments that exploded, inventions that flopped and taken exams that he’s failed. They tell Percy the reason they keep trying is because they LOVE what they do. When Percy admits he doesn’t even LIKE what he does, they tell him to find out what he DOES love. By the end of the book, Percy has tried and failed and tried again. He’s found a passion for painting, roller skating, guitar playing, sandcastle building and collecting wriggly worms! But the BEST thing of all is that he knows his parents love him no matter what. Help your child combat perfectionism and develop a growth mindset Growth mindset vs fixed mindset is a hot topic in schools at the moment. Children with a fixed mindset believe they are born with certain talents and abilities and there’s nothing they can do to improve them. Failure is personal, causing them to avoid situations where they may not feel confident. Children with a growth mindset believe that they can work to improve their skills and that each failure has within it the seeds of success. In this picture book we see Percy develop a growth mindset as he learns it’s ok to fail and realises that his parents’ failures have led to their successes! Tackling themes such as perfectionism and the power of persistence, this quirky picture bookgives parents the opportunity to talk about these issues in a fun and engaging way, and conveys a message of reassurance, love and acceptance. Suitable for children aged 4-7 Springboard to talk about perfectionism, growth mindset and the power of persistence Ideal if your child is a perfectionist or feels anxious about making mistakes Humorous story with quirky details on each page, including fun alliteration Mixed media illustrations – pen and ink, digital collage with photographic textures and textiles Ideal for kids in daycare, kindergarten or preschool Reassure your child that mistakes are natural, that failure can help them grow and learn, and most importantly, that they’ll be loved no matter what! To help your child develop a growth mindset, order your copy today!