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Books by Theme » Growth Mindset » The Book of Mistakes is a Must-Have for Little Perfectionists!

The Book of Mistakes is a Must-Have for Little Perfectionists!

By Lauren Bercuson ·  Published: Mar 14, 2021 ·  Modified: Jan 18, 2023 ·  This post may contain affiliate links

The Book of Mistakes is a must-have picture book for any child who struggles with perfectionism and failure. If you are building your child’s library, The Book of Mistakes is an absolute must!

Table of Contents:
  1. Embrace imagination with The Book of Mistakes!
  2. The Book of Mistakes follows an artist on her creative journey.
  3. A journey through The Book of Mistakes
  4. Use The Book of Mistakes to help kids unleash their creativity!
  5. Frequently Asked Questions

Embrace imagination with The Book of Mistakes!

What a stunner this is! The Book of Mistakes, written and illustrated by the brilliant Corrina Luyken, is a quiet masterpiece illuminating the inherent beauty that underlies every misstep we make. It’s a fabulous growth mindset book for kids, and I simply cannot rave about it enough.

Even years after first reading this book, I still cannot quite believe this is Luyken’s debut. She is, without a doubt, one to watch. And this book is, without a doubt, one of our family favorites.

The Book of Mistakes follows an artist on her creative journey.

In The Book Of Mistakes, the reader follows Luyken on a creative journey – one that exquisitely depicts how “mistakes” actually become an integral component of illustrations. Luyken’s artistry is meant to pore over and study, with new, quirky details to be discovered each time the book is picked up for a reread. Though there are numerous children’s stories that touch upon opportunities arising from perceived errors, this one is as powerful as it is unassuming.

You can purchase The Book of Mistakes at these links!

Happily Ever Elephants participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.

RELATED: We’ve got more than 100 children’s book lists for you on Happily Ever Elephants, so be sure to check them out!

A journey through The Book of Mistakes

Beginning on the very first two spreads, the reader sees the artist’s very first mistake. Oh no — one of the girl’s eyes is bigger than the other! Does that mean the artist should rip up the paper and start over?

An interior spread from The Book of Mistakes.

Nope. Absolutely not. In the following spreads, readers see how making the second eye bigger was also a bit of a mistake. But when the artist decides to add glasses to the character’s face, the girl looks perfect! Those glasses were not a mistake — and they look great. But would the artist have gotten to that point without her original mishaps?

An interior spread from The Book of Mistakes.

And, oh no! The girl is now running but her feet don’t touch the ground. Ooops. Again, though, instead of ripping up the paper in frustration, the artist gets creative and adds roller skates to the girl’s feet to bring them closer to the sidewalk.

An interior spread from The Book of Mistakes.

With every page turn in The Book of Mistakes, the reader is delighted to witness the ways in which Luyken’s illustrations go awry, yet she uses her imagination and creativity to add new details and dimensions to the art.

Simply put, the artist never gives up! And perhaps even more importantly, she makes every mistake work in her favor, as each becomes a part of an even more beautiful whole.

As the reader draws closer and closer to the end of the book, the illustrations get bigger and more dramatic, filling the white space with all of the mistakes that turned into beauty.

An interior spread from The Book of Mistakes.

RELATED: Are your kids starting to read? Check out the best books for beginning readers and these kindergarten books for developing readers!

Use The Book of Mistakes to help kids unleash their creativity!

So many kids are perfectionists, beginning a project again and again because they can’t get it just right. So how can we, the “grown-ups” help to nurture their creativity and limit their insecurity? Use The Book of Mistakes — and perhaps even pair it with A Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg — to show little ones that magnificence can be found in mistakes, even our biggest ones.

After all, An “oh no” can become an “oh wow!” with just a bit of perseverance and a whole lot of heart and imagination.

Kids will be amazed at the manner in which Luyken’s smudges and spills become extraordinarily special, and for this reason, it gets two hearty trunks up.  This is one we read again and again in our house… and I have no doubt The Book of Mistakes will be one my boys carry with them throughout their lives.

You can purchase The Book of Mistakes at these links!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is The Book of Mistakes good for kids that are perfectionists?

Absolutely! It is a wonderful story that shows that even when we can’t get things “just right,” beauty can happen from mistakes, and there is so much growth along the way!

Do you recommend this book to help inspire a growth mindset in kids?

Yes! We love growth mindset books for kids, and this book is a wonderful example of being persistent, growing from our mistakes, and never giving up.

Can you recommend other books by Corinna Luyken?

Yes! We adore Luyken’s work, and The Tree in Me is another favorite. It’s a stunner!

RELATED: We have amazing kindergarten read-alouds on the blog, and they make the best bedtime stories. Check them out!

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Welcome to Happily Ever Elephants!

Lauren

Hi! I’m Lauren. I’m a boy mom, former attorney, current elementary school librarian, and moderator of book clubs for kids around the country. My goal is to make storytime with your children both magical and meaningful. Welcome! LEARN MORE 

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