Just Perfect

PreS-Gr 1–A boy begins this story by saying, “Mommy, Daddy, and I made three, but we thought we might like four. So....” He then recounts a number of increasingly ludicrous additions to the family. In highly exaggerated illustrations, viewers see that a dog is too hairy, a turtle takes forever to walk, a chameleon blends in with its surroundings, and the porcupine is too hard to hug. An octopus makes a terrible mess in the kitchen and the dolphin requires that the living room be under several feet of water. On the last page, the family has a baby, which completes it to perfection. The absurdity in the pictures enhances the brief text. Marinsky’s full-bleed images have a painterly quality and the palette is soothing if not entirely natural. Children will enjoy this sweet look at a growing family.–B. Allison Gray, Goleta Public Library, CA