Ish

Why It's On Our Shelf

This directly addresses perfectionism and the creative paralysis it causes, which makes it important beyond just being a nice story. The concept of 'ish' becomes freedom - things don't have to be perfect to be valuable, and that's a message kids absorb better through story than through lectures. The simple illustrations let Ramon's progressively freer drawings tell the story of what happens when you relax impossible standards. What stands out is the sister's role as the person who sees value in what Ramon discards, which is a nice reminder that others sometimes recognize our worth before we do.