Tiny, Perfect Things

Brimming with double page, intricate illustrations, Tiny, Perfect Things weaves simple prose with detailed images to invite young readers to pay attention to the beauty and mystery of the natural world around us. The opening page shows a young girl holding hands with her grandfather as he tells her (and implicitly the reader) that “Today we will keep our eyes open for tiny, perfect things.” Subsequent pages offer readers one tiny, perfect thing to focus on per page as the girl’s grandfather points out nature’s delights like “a yellow leaf that the wind blew down” and “a snail that climbed the fence last night.” When they arrive home, the girl’s voice emerges as she tells her racially diverse parents about the things they found today. The book ends with two fold-out pages that give a facade view of the girls’ neighborhood with seemingly countless tiny, perfect things for readers to find. M.H. Clark and Madeline Kloepper complement each other’s writing and illustration respectively to give young readers myriad reasons to celebrate the everyday beauty of the world around us. Tiny, Perfect Things adds to the growing collection of recent books for young readers that emphasize waiting, slowing down, and contemplation. Teachers will find that Tiny, Perfect Things can become a touchstone text throughout the year to hone students’ observation skills as they explore texts as well as the natural and built world.
Author: M.H. Clark
Illustrator: Madeline Kloepper
Publisher / Imprint: Compendium