VOOKS - It is (Not) Perfect
About This Story
The book opens on a beach, with two fuzzy creatures crouched over a small sandcastle that they have just decided is finished. One of them is taller and a little fussier. The other is smaller and a little more relaxed. They look at each other. They look at the castle. They agree it is perfect. Then the taller one has a thought — the castle needs flags. So they add flags. Now it is perfect. Then the taller one has another thought — the towers need to be taller. So they make the towers taller. Now it is perfect. Then a friend walks over and offers an idea: the castle needs a moat. So they dig a moat.
This pattern repeats across the next several spreads. Each new idea sounds reasonable on its own. Each addition makes the castle more elaborate. By the time the sandcastle is finished, it is enormous — taller than the two friends, ringed by a moat, with a drawbridge, a guard house, and a flag on every tower. The whole beach has stopped what they are doing to come and look at it. The two friends stand in front of the castle, smiling, ready for the photo. Then a wave rolls in. The castle disappears. The beach looks empty. The two friends look at each other for a beat. Then they run back to the water and start building again, this time without the flags.
This Vooks animated read aloud is built around a single joke that lands very gently, which is what makes it work for the preschool and early kindergarten crowd. Kids are not expected to be the moral of the story. They are expected to laugh at the moment when the wave rolls in, and then to notice that the two friends are not upset — they are running back to the water. The lesson lives in the last page, where the text simply says, “It is (not) perfect. It is fun.”
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What Happens in the Story
The book is structured almost like a runway — each spread adds one new idea to the sandcastle, and each idea makes the project a little bigger and a little less fun. The two friends start with a small castle and the belief that it is perfect. Then the taller friend has the thought that the castle needs flags, so they put flags on it. Then the same friend thinks the towers need to be taller, so they add taller towers. A second friend walks over and suggests the castle needs a moat, so they dig a moat.
Then a third friend points out that the moat needs a drawbridge. Then a fourth friend suggests the castle needs a guard house. Then a fifth friend thinks the castle needs a flag on every tower. Each suggestion sounds reasonable. Each addition makes the castle more elaborate. By the middle of the book, the sandcastle is enormous — taller than the two friends, ringed by a moat, with a drawbridge, a guard house, and a flag on every tower. The two friends stand in front of it, smiling. The whole beach has stopped what they are doing to come and look at it.
Then the wave comes. It rolls in from behind the two friends and wipes the entire sandcastle away in a single page turn. The beach looks empty. The two friends look at each other. For a beat, the page holds on them looking at each other, which is the most important page in the book, because kids who are reading along know what the two friends are about to do. They run back to the water and start building again, this time without the flags. The book ends with the text, “It is (not) perfect. It is fun,” which is the entire point of the read aloud.
Why It Works for Family Read Aloud
The first thing parents notice is that the read aloud does not require a character voice. The two fuzzy friends speak in short, declarative sentences. There is no narration voice. There is no plot twist to set up. There is just one simple idea per spread, which is the kind of read aloud that a tired parent can get through without losing the thread.
The second thing parents notice is that the read aloud lets kids predict what is going to happen. By the second or third spread, kids know that every new friend who walks over is going to suggest something. By the fourth spread, kids are saying the suggestions out loud before the friends do. That kind of read aloud is the kind that builds confidence in early readers, because kids are not waiting to be told what the book is about. They are telling the book what it is about.
The third thing worth pointing out is the wave. The wave is funny, but it is also a quiet piece of emotional education. The two friends are not upset when the castle disappears. They run back to the water. That is the read aloud’s small contribution to the conversation parents tend to have with preschoolers about perfectionism, about peer pressure, and about the difference between a thing being done well and a thing being done forever. The last page lands the point without lecturing, which is the only way the point lands for this age group.
Who This Book Is For
This read aloud is built for preschoolers and early kindergartners — kids who are old enough to understand the joke about the wave but young enough to find it genuinely funny. It is also a good fit for any child who is sensitive to criticism, who melts down when a project does not turn out perfectly, or who has started to feel the weight of peer pressure on small creative tasks. The text is gentle enough for kids who are easily upset, and the wave is funny enough to break the tension before the read aloud lands its point.
It is also a good pick for families who have already enjoyed the You Are (Not) Small series and want to add another title to the rotation. The two fuzzy friends show up in several Anna Kang and Christopher Weyant read alouds, which means kids tend to recognize them and lean in. If you have a child who can sit through a five-minute animated story and who is starting to ask questions about fairness and perfection, this is a good first-or-fifth Vooks pick.
Want to see what other picture books about friendship and feelings we have on the shelf? Browse the full list at ourreadingcircle.com/category/feelings-emotions for more read aloud options, or ourreadingcircle.com/category/vooks for the rest of our Vooks animated collection.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is It is (Not) Perfect about?
It is a quiet, funny picture book read aloud about two friends who set out to build the perfect sandcastle and keep being told it needs more — flags, taller towers, a moat, a drawbridge. After a wave sweeps the castle away, the two friends run back to the water and start over. The book ends with the line, “It is (not) perfect. It is fun.”
Who wrote It is (Not) Perfect?
It was written by Anna Kang and illustrated by Christopher Weyant, the husband-and-wife team behind the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award-winning You Are (Not) Small series. It was published by Two Lions in May 2020.
What age is It is (Not) Perfect for?
It works best for preschool through early first grade, which we read as 3 to 5 years. Two Lions catalogs the book for ages 3 to 6, but the joke about the wave and the final-page turn make the early end of that range the most natural fit.
Is It is (Not) Perfect good for read aloud?
Yes. The text is short, the pattern is predictable after two or three spreads, and the wave at the end is the kind of read aloud payoff that earns a second read. It is one of the easier five-minute read alouds in the Vooks library.
Is It is (Not) Perfect part of a series?
Yes. It is the fifth book in the You Are (Not) Small series, which also includes That’s (Not) Mine, I Am (Not) Scared, We Are (Not) Friends, and This Is (Not) Enough. All five follow the same two fuzzy friends and the same short-text, expressive-illustrations format.
Does It is (Not) Perfect help with perfectionism?
It is one of the better picture book picks for preschoolers who are starting to feel the weight of perfectionism. The book does not lecture. It just shows the two friends running back to the water after the wave, which is the kind of read aloud moment that lands without a parent having to explain it.
Where can I find more read alouds like this?
We keep a full category of feelings and friendship read alouds at ourreadingcircle.com — start with the feelings & emotions page for more read aloud ideas, or browse all Vooks animated read alouds for the full animated library.
