Throughout her work as an Elementary School Counselor, Ashley McClain has worked with children on a variety of personal/social issues, such as enhancing social skills, developing healthy coping skills, and facilitating the development of a positive self-concept. Mrs. McClain's work to help a particular child overcome perfectionism was a significant component of her inspiration to write this book. It is hoped that this book can be used to help teach children the invaluable lessons that it is okay to make mistakes, and most importantly, that no one is perfect.

In an English seaside town, lovers and children, young men and middle-aged women weave in and out of each other's lives and stories. A mother is tormented by her daughter's tattoo; another only pretends to love her baby. A wife stalks her husband and his new lover; a broken egg through a letterbox tells a story that will not go away; the cat thinks he knows best. Threaded throughout are longings for love and poignant disappointments, surprising pleasures and temptations. Some will fall but some, like the small boy at the circus who sees his babysitter fly past on a trapeze wearing little more than a blue bra and spangles, will retain their feeling of awe. PERFECT LIVES, follows Polly Samson's rapturously received first collection, LYING IN BED. They are rueful, knowing, witty, poignant, bashful, bold. Her genius is in the nuance.

This is the third title in Bayeux's NEW series, "An Odd Little Book". The series is in a small format, 4" x 5", and the subjects are intended to appeal to all ages, starting from 7-year olds. The stories or poems are darkly humorous and rach carry a revelatory or cautionary message. Exquisite illustrations by award-winning artists are a hallmark of the series. "Polly Perfect and the Tragic Fart" is a hilarious cautionary tale about that most human of all characteristics: embarrassment.

"Blasphemous ... highly offensive" ... and VERY funny!Herodotus Shapiro has had an unbelievably bad week. His wife left him. The IRS is after him for thousands of dollars. His home/bookstore burned down. On his way to take refuge at his brother's place, he got a speeding ticket. And now his car has broken down in the middle of the desert in front of a large mansion. What more can go wrong?But now his world takes a turn for the weird. The mansion has a snowman on the front lawn--in the desert, in July. The house, which is bigger on the inside than on the outside, is owned by Polly, the most preternaturally beautiful young woman he's ever met. Polly is an acrobat, a gourmet chef, a psychologist, an international financial consultant, a physicist and a woman of who-knows how many other incredible talents. She has an unbelievable library, an art collection of all the world's great masterpieces, and a print of a previously unknown Marx Brothers film. Her toilet paper is actually silk.And she seems to have some mysterious plans for him ....

Polly loves words. And she loves writing stories. So when a magic book appears on her doorstep that can make everything she writes happen in real life, Polly is certain all of her dreams are about to come true. But she soon learns that what you write and what you mean are not always the same thing! Funny and touching, this new chapter book series will entertain readers and inspire budding writers.

Would she ever be… …married to her boss? Working a temp job for charmingly aloof Professor Sam Gervis was difficult enough for Polly Talbot, even if she hadn’t begun to fall for him! He’s already engaged to someone else and, besides, the sophisticated surgeon would never look twice at anyone as plain as her. But despite taking up a new career nursing children Polly soon discovers that Sam isn’t an easy man to forget…. Especially when he turns up at her hospital — as her new boss! Originally published in 1984