Abstract

Pearla loves to bake! Her favourite foods are cookies and cupcakes, which she sells at her dad's bakery. She always tries very hard to make her baking absolutely perfect, but one day Pearla is so busy that she makes a huge mistake! Have fun with Pearla as she learns how to adapt when her day doesn't go to plan and realises it could turn out to be pretty perfect after all.

This is a scrumptious tale for children aged 4-12, particularly those who experience anxiety or developmental issues. It demonstrates that you can't succeed unless you try and that it's ok to make mistakes. Pearla's strategies for solving her problems will help children to overcome their own hurdles.

Rochel Lieberman, MA CCC-SLP, is a Speech Language Pathologist, the founder of Ariber Speech, and an instructor of language development who helps people find their perfect words. Rochel has been presented with the 2013 Award for Continuing Education from American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She provides workshops at national, state, and local levels and works with professionals to communicate with the "sound of success." She is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Her research interests include social-emotional literacy and stress in language development. Rochel loves square cupcakes with squiggly pink cream and lives in Brooklyn, NY with her husband, Mendy, who loves blue round butter cookies, and their children, who bake crispy cookie sticks.

Lloyd Jones is an illustrator who lives in London, England. More of his work can be seen at http://www.lloydjonesillustration.com. He's more of a donut guy, honestly.

In this delightful children's story, Pearla and her Unpredictably Perfect Day, Rochel Lieberman pulls the reader in through Pearla's happy anticipation, then her intense disappointment about her mistakes, and finally her gradual discovery that imperfection is not, as she had first felt, a crisis, but is quite manageable and can even lead to new pleasures for others and then for her. Each part of the story is easy for children to relate to, with the lovely illustrations bringing it to life. For so many children with anxiety or other challenges, making mistakes can feel devastating. Reading this book with others, with other children, classmates, siblings, and adults, provides an opportunity to generate healing enjoyable discussions and dramatic play that help children increasingly develop internal emotional and cognitive capacity to cope with mistakes. I can right away think of many children who will enjoy and benefit from this book!
Dr Karen Levine, Child Psychologist and Co-Author of Attacking Anxiety: A Step-by-Step Guide to an Engaging Approach to Treating Anxiety and Phobias in Children with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities
Oh no! Pearla isn't so perfect after all. But the spunky heroine of Pearla and her Unpredictably Perfect Day doesn't stay stuck for long, finding a creative solution for her baking mishap and learning that perfection is in the eye of the beholder. Children will easily relate to Pearla's initial angst while learning from the coping strategies she then employs. An appealing, useful book.
Dawn Huebner PhD, Psychologist and Author of What to Do When You Worry Too Much
The need to "be perfect," particularly for people with anxiety, is an all-encompassing drive. It is a goal that can never be achieved, thus leading to intense anxiety and feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, and negative self-worth. Alternately, learning how to "be imperfect", accepting and even embracing one's limitations, can reduce stress and be incredibly liberating. In Pearla and her Unpredictably Perfect Day, Ms. Lieberman has captured the essence of this struggle to be perfect and the ability to use cognitive processes to control and triumph over fear and change behavior.
Dr. Felice A Tager, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medical Psychology in Psychiatry, Columbia University Medical Center