Just Perfect: More Adventures of Jules the Lighthouse Dog
JUST PERFECT is a wonderful sequel to the original JULES THE LIGHTHOUSE DOG and as delightful! Children (and their parents) will delight in this tale of Jules (a terrific Bernese Mountain Dog) and his doggie closet of insecurities. PT Custard and Ana Greer have depicted a companion that any age will love and truly value. --Kathleen Dixon, Owner, Islandtime Books and MoreJUST PERFECT is a recipient of the prestigious Mom's Choice Award. The Mom's Choice Awards honors excellence in family-friendly media, products and services. An esteemed panel of judges includes education, media and other experts as well as parents, children, librarians, performing artists, producers, medical and business professionals, authors, scientists and others. A sampling of the panel members includes: Dr. Twila C. Liggett, Ten-time Emmy-winner, professor and founder of Reading Rainbow; Julie Aigner-Clark, Creator of Baby Einstein and The Safe Side Project; Jodee Blanco, New York Times Best-Selling Author; LeAnn Thieman, Motivational speaker and coauthor of seven Chicken Soup For The Soul books; and Tara Paterson, Certified Parent Coach, and founder of the Mom's Choice Awards. Parents and educators look for the Mom s Choice Awards seal in selecting quality materials and products for children and families. This book/product has been honored by this distinguished award. --Mom's Choice AwardsJules is a handsome Bernese Mountain Dog well aware of his good qualities. His size, color and voice are just right for his life beside the sea. Jules believes he is perfect, and his friends, who look exactly like him, agree. But when Jules visits a dog park and sees dogs that look very different from him, he becomes confused. These dogs aren't like him, so they can't be perfect, he reasons. So why are they so happy? As Jules observes the antics of these varying breeds of canines that are bigger or smaller or faster or stronger than him, or have shorter or longer and/or differently colored coats, he begins to appreciate their different talents and abilities. He comes to understand that perfect doesn't have to do with how one looks or with being just one certain way. There are many ways to be perfect, and perfect really means being happy with who you are. It's a valuable message, and a comfort similar to the way Mr. Rogers used to say "I like you just the way you are."  The words and illustrations of this picture book work together so that this moral does not come across as didactic or preachy, but rather, goes down easy. P. T. Custard writes engagingly. Ana Greer's clean, bright colors and adorably drawn lively dogs will delight child and parent alike. A mischievous squirrel who shows up on several pages is an added treat. As a picture book that is fun plus can plant the seeds for both self-esteem and appreciation for others who are different, Just Perfect is--dare I say it?--just perfect. The US Review of Books --Kathy Fetsko Petrie - The US Review of Books