Publisher Description

With the help of her teachers and mother, Sally learns how to relax and try new things without worrying so much about being the best. 

Sally Sanders is a perfectionist—if can't she be the best, she feels like a failure. Sally procrastinates, shies away from new things, and constantly compares herself to others, convinced she's not good enough. With the help of her teachers and mother, Sally learns how to relax and try new things without worrying so much about being the best. She can just be herself, and that is all she needs.

Author Biography

Ellen Flanagan Burns is a school psychologist and the author of Nobody's Perfect: A Story for Children About Perfectionism and Ten Turtles on Tuesday. She devotes her writing to helping children overcome anxiety. She believes that children's books can be a powerful therapeutic tool and supports cognitive-based interventions for children with anxiety-related issues. Ms. Burns lives in Newark, Delaware with her family, where she is also a practicing licensed massage therapist.

Erica Pelton Villnave's involvement in children's literature began at the Maryland Institute College of Art where she studied illustration. She is the illustrator of numerous books for children, including Nobody's Perfect. She lives in upstate New York. Visit her at

Table of Contents

Chapter 1: The Recital
Chapter 2: Soccer Sign-Ups
Chapter 3: Out of Time!
Chapter 4: The Perfect Puppy
Chapter 5: The Weary Baker
Chapter 6: Nobody's Perfect
Chapter 7: Having Fun Again

Review

"Nobody's Perfect illustrates how extreme perfectionism can get in the way of enjoying life. I recommend this book highly for any child who struggles with the need to always be perfect."—Martin M. Antony, PhD, author, When Perfect Isn't Good Enough: Strategies for Coping with Perfectionism, professor of psychology, Ryerson University, Toronto

"Ellen Flanagan Burns is giving all children who suffer from the pain of perfectionism a wonderful gift by helping them understand mistakes are a normal part of life and everything they do doesn't have to be absolutely perfect!"—Rosemary Callard-Szulgit, EdD, author of Perfectionism and Gifted Children

"The thoughtful handling of an important real-life issue makes Nobody's Perfect highly recommended, and an absolute must-have for children's grade school and public library collections."—The Midwest Book Review

"Children want  to feel successful.  No child wants to feel like a loser.  But, sometimes wanting to be the best can lead to perfectionism and require help from parents, teachers and counselors.  Children can become anxious, stressed and not want to attend school.  With the beginning of the school year, it would be a good time to share this book with your kids and let them know that you don't expect them to be perfect with everything they do.  The author, Ellen Flanagan Burns is a psychologist and writes a lovely introduction to the book with suggestions.  She mentions her own problem with perfectionism as a child.  The illustrations by Erica Pelton Villnave are colorful and expressive and appear on every page."—Children's Books Heal

Long Description

Sally Sanders is good at everything she does, or so it seems. Secretly she is afraid that if she can't do something well, or be the best, she will feel like a failure. She is scared that she is not ""good enough."" As a perfectionist, hitting the wrong note at a piano recital, or not making the soccer team feels like the end of the world!Gradually, through the help of her teachers and mother, Sally learns to have fun and not worry so much about being the best. She realizes that making mistakes is a part of learning, and that doing her best is good enough.

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