The Perfect Seat

by Minh Lê

Overview

From the acclaimed author of Drawn Together and Lift, Minh Lê, comes a playful ode to laptime storytelling.


This child and their parent are almost ready for story time — but first, they must find the perfect seat! This cozy picture book takes readers through various opposites ("Too rough! Too slippery!") as characters search for just the right spot. Adorable art by acclaimed illustrator Gus Gordon invites adults and children to giggle all the way through to the heartwarming ending, when the answer falls right into their laps — because the perfect seat for a child is, indeed, right in a parent's lap.


Don't miss LET ME FINISH!, also by Minh Lê!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781368020046
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	11/12/2019
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	633,783
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	3 - 5 Years

About the Author

Minh Lê is an author and national early childhood policy expert. He wrote Lift and Drawn Together (both illustrated by Dan Santat), Let Me Finish! (illustrated by Isabel Roxas), and The Perfect Seat (illustrated by Gus Gordon). He has also written for the New York Times, the Horn Book, and the Huffington Post. Minh currently lives in San Diego, California with his wife and kids. He can be found online at minhlebooks.com.


Gus Gordon is an author and illustrator for small people and older people who like small people's books. Gus's picture books, which include Wendy, Herman and Rosie, and Somewhere Else, have sold in over twenty countries and he has twice been nominated for the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. Gus lives with his wife and three kids in Sydney, Australia. He invites you to visit him at www.gusgordon.com.

Editorial Reviews

In Minh Le's The Perfect Seat, the story may be slight, but the relationship matters and the central problem is easy for both children and adults to connect to…Le has written a true picture book text: It leaves room for the artist to create a story, and room for the reader's imagination, too.

The New York Times Book Review - Emily Jenkins

09/16/2019

A dapper moose and rosy-cheeked calf leave a bookstore eager to read, but they struggle to find a place to perch in this well-paced story. Faced with a procession of imperfect seats arranged in opposites, they mount a search (“Too Big” sees them small within a café’s giant armchair, “Too Small” finds them perched uncomfortably on a fire hydrant). Lê offers some lighthearted comic variation to the formula, as the adult spins on a tire swing (“Should the perfect seat make you this dizzy?”), and as two sit on opposite sides of a bench that spans both pages of a spread (“Too... Wide”). Gordon’s mixed-media illustrations in grays and greens create a comfortable mood just right for lap reading, and readers can follow the two seat seekers via an endpaper map. Though the end is no surprise, this one is just right for the story time set. Ages 3–5. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"A perfect pick for sharing aloud in almost any seat."—School Library Journal

"Easy for both children and adults to connect to."—The New York Times

"This one is just right for the story time set."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

11/01/2019

PreS-Gr 1—A young moose calf asks an older stylish moose, in a sweater vest and fedora, for a story—but first they need to find the perfect seat for reading aloud together. Thus starts a Goldilocks-esque quest as the companions try out various seats in the city only to find that none are suitable. The bicycle is too rough, the slide is too slippery, the train is too crowded, and so forth. Ready to give up, the moose sits at the base of tree in a park and the two realize they have found the ideal spot to read. Hand-lettered text of brief and precise prose, is spot-on for very young listeners. Illustrations crafted using watercolors, pencils, crayons, and touch of collage convey a subtle whimsy. The bright red book, to be shared by the companions, is on every page and stands out against the mostly light green, gray, and blue pages. VERDICT A perfect pick for sharing aloud in almost any seat in the city.—Mindy Hiatt, Salt Lake County Library Services

School Library Journal

2019-06-25
Reading aloud is a wonderful shared activity for a father and child. But what or where is the best chair?

Dapper papa moose, dressed in a fedora and sweater, agrees to read a story to his young one. But then the quest begins for the best setting. Size, condition, texture, type, and location all present problems. They are about to give up when a picture-perfect location is found under a tree in an urban park. Lê's little story, a sort of metafictive prequel to the act children and caregivers are engaging in in reading this very book, is delightfully presented. Gordon's watercolor, pencil, crayon, and collage illustrations in soft shades of greens, browns, and grays illustrate each of the possibilities with gentle humor. Each opposing possibility is presented on a page or sometimes two, subtly controlling the pacing: "Too Funky. / Too Fancy" or "Too Old. / Too New." Readers will find themselves lingering over the choices. Some of the options are familiar: "Too Big. / Too Small" (an imposing and far-from-cozy sofa; a fire hydrant). Some are less so: "Too Rough. // Too Slippery" (a bumpy bicycle ride; a slide in the park). A street map of the town on the endpapers, including its trees and lakes, along with a music-loving squirrel add to the fun.

There's more to storytime between a parent and child than book selection. Closeness and comfort certainly count. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews