The Book of Mistakes
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Zoom meets Beautiful Oops! in this memorable picture book debut about the creative process, and the way in which "mistakes" can blossom into inspiration
One eye was bigger than the other. That was a mistake.
The weird frog-cat-cow thing? It made an excellent bush.
And the inky smudges… they look as if they were always meant to be leaves floating gently across the sky.
As one artist incorporates accidental splotches, spots, and misshapen things into her art, she transforms her piece in quirky and unexpected ways, taking readers on a journey through her process. Told in minimal, playful text, this story shows readers that even the biggest “mistakes” can be the source of the brightest ideas—and that, at the end of the day, we are all works in progress, too.
Fans of Peter Reynolds’s Ish and Patrick McDonnell’s A Perfectly Messed-Up Story will love the funny, poignant, completely unique storytelling of The Book of Mistakes. And, like Oh, The Places You’ll Go!, it makes the perfect graduation gift, encouraging readers to have a positive outlook as they learn to face life’s obstacles.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Almost any child knows the feeling: one errant mark or smudge, and an in-progress drawing or painting is as good as ruined. Not so, says Luyken, in a children's book debut that's as candid as it is encouraging. The pages are virtually blank, at first, and readers watch as a character takes shape: a girl's round head appears, traced in pencil, but one of her large, dark eyes winds up noticeably larger than the other. "Making the other eye even bigger was another mistake," Luyken admits as the problem seems to get worse. "But the glasses they were a good idea." Additional "mistakes" mount: the girl winds up with an overlong neck and an odd "frog-cat-cow thing" makes an appearance, but Luyken finds a way to turn each one into a success by changing direction or perspective: "The second frog-cat-cow thing made a very nice rock," she writes after inking it in. The idea of setbacks being opportunities in disguise is no stranger to picture book pages, but rarely has it been illuminated with such style, imagination, and compassion. Ages 4 8.
