TRIGGER WARNING: MISCARRIAGE

In this episode of Once Upon an Adventure, we explore a feeling that touches children and adults alike: the pressure to be perfect. Through two very different books, we look at how perfectionism shapes the way we learn, love, and see ourselves.

On the children’s shelf, we discuss The Perfect Percival Priggs by Julie Anne Graham a warm and funny picture book about a boy who believes he must excel at everything. When his parents reveal their own mistakes, Percival discovers that failure is part of growth, not the opposite of it.

For adults, we turn to All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover, a moving and honest novel about marriage, grief, and the quiet weight of expectations. It explores what happens when the life you imagined meets the life you actually have, and how letting go of “perfect” can make space for something real.

Together, these books remind us that perfection often isolates us, while honesty and vulnerability bring us back to connection. We finish with a simple family challenge that encourages creativity without correction, and an invitation to rethink what “perfect” really means in your home.

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