This book was given to me as a gift from my teacher-friend in Seattle. This book is filled with different tactile exploration of the possible mistakes that anyone could make in their daily lives. These mistakes are... a torn piece of paper, spills, folded paper, drips of paint, smudges and smears, and they "all can make magic appear." The book celebrates random accidents, encouraging artistic experimentation rather than discouragement. For example, the folded-over paper can be a penguin's head, a torn piece of newsprint can turn into a smiling dog, a hot-chocolate stain can become a bog for a frog. A little hole is filled with nearly limitless possibilities. The interactive elements work beautifully with the photo-collaged mistakes!
I loved reading this book as it illustrates the important message that every mistake is beautiful and they lead to new possibilities. Just simply reading and sharing this book would be wonderful, but I've found some activities that learners could do after reading this book. I cannot wait to teach my learners about the value of making mistakes.
Here are some questions to start a discussion with my learners:
What is a mistake?
How does it make you feel when you think you have made a mistake?
What do you think will happen if you make a mistake?
Do you know anyone who you think doesn’t make any mistakes?
How do you think you would feel if you never made any mistakes?
What would life be like if you didn’t try anything new because you were worried about making a mistake?
Do you think that making a mistake could ever make you happy?
Why do you think some people are afraid of mistakes?
How can making a mistake be beautiful?
This is a great video of the author, Barney Saltzberg, with a Kindergarten class. It is worth watching to see how Beautiful Oops! allows children to play creatively and you will be singing “Shopping With My Dog” for the rest of the day!
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