Peet Montzingo’s new book teaches kids that “growing up different” is just fine

Peet Montzingo has had an unusual life. The YouTube Shorts star, whose videos show what it’s like to be a tall person raised by a dwarf mother, is the co-author of a new children’s book titled Little Imperfections: A Tall Tale of Growing Up Different.

Montzingo’s videos, which range from silly to spooky, have allowed him to place as one of the 50 most-watched channels in the U.S. Before he was a creator, however, he was a lanky boy growing up in a short family. That coming-of-age tale is at the heart of his picture book, which spins a tale reminiscent of The Ugly Duckling. The description of Little Imperfections describes its themes as “being different, feeling like you don’t fit in, and finding yourself along the way.”

Little Imperfections is co-written by Montzingo and Rockwell Sands. The two authors have known each other for ten years, which has allowed Sands to form his own relationships with Montzingo’s mother and siblings.

The close bond between Montzingo and Sands isn’t the only thing that makes Little Imperfections special. The book also has an accompanying YouTube Shorts series, which Montzingo has uploaded on his channel. Each chapter of the book is connected to a specific video, and if you watch the series in order, it’s as if Montzingo is reading his tale to you.

The YouTube Shorts series is described as a first-of-its-kind integration. In an interview with YouTube, Montzingo said that he was encouraged to create video companions for his book because he wanted “to do something really creative.”

“It’s just never been done. You’ve never been able to turn the page on a book and see a QR code and be able to scan it or in an e-book, click the link, be able to watch, read and follow along and find easter eggs in both,” Montzingo said. “Little things that tie into each other. All of the illustrations are also based off of the actual screen stills from the video.

If you’d like to share Montzingo’s tall tale with a child in your life, you can pick up the hardcover, paperback, or Kindle version of the book. And if you don’t want to click through the accompanying videos one by one, don’t worry. The full Little Imperfections series is available in one piece on Montzingo’s channel.