Beatrice More and the Perfect Party

Beatrice More and the Perfect Party is a lighthearted story about a girl who wants to plan the perfect surprise birthday party for her younger sister, Sophie. Beatrice struggles with all the things she wants to plan with only two weeks to organize it. She begins by making a list so she is able to keep track of what she has to do. She has her friends help her invite kids from the playground. She asks her dad to help her find decorations, and her mom offers to bake a cake and help pick out a gift. At every turn, there are unexpected challenges, less than perfect circumstances, and frustrations that Beatrice has to navigate. By the day of the party, Beatrice has accepted that her decorations are not perfectly matched to a specific theme or colour scheme, the cake has turned into a “purple mountain” and only a few guests showed up, but Sophie has a great time and Beatrice learns that things don’t always need to be perfect in order to be special.

This book has some really good lessons in it for kids who struggle with anxiety, perfectionism, or the ability to adapt to changing circumstances. The lessons throughout this story are written to be entertaining for children so they don’t come across as too stiff or awkward. The book is well- written and has a natural dialogue. This short chapter book would serve as a good bridge from picture books to longer narratives for children learning to read independently. The only portion of the writing that could be challenging for young children to read is the dialogue of five-year old-Sophie, whose mispronunciations in the book are written phonetically and could be hard to read and understand or could confuse a young child concerning the correct spellings of certain words. It should be noted, however, that there is very little dialogue in the book that involves Sophie.

The illustrations in Beatrice More and the Perfect Party are an expressive black and white cartoon style and are used sparingly to punctuate the book. They are very well-drawn and clearly depict the situations and emotions that occur throughout. This book would make a great addition to any school library or personal collection.