The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes (book review and giveaway)

The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes

By Mark Pett and Gary Rubenstein

Illustrated by Mark Pett

Release Date: October 1, 2011

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

Hardcover /$14.99 US

32 Pages/Ages: 4-8

From the publisher: The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubenstein, the adorably funny and inspirational picture book that Stephanie Oppenheim of Oppenheim Toy Portfolio is calling “a must read for any young (or old!) perfectionist.”


The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes is the delightful story about Beatrice Bottomwell, a girl who prides herself on being perfect, until she’s not. She is a nine-year-old girl who has never (not once!) made a slip-up. But one day she does the unthinkable—she makes her first mistake! Not only that, she makes it in the most public way possible. Will the mistake be the end of her life? Or could it end up being a lot of fun?

My take:  I will admit to being a bit of a perfectionist.  After all, I was raised with the expression "anything worth doing, is worth doing right" (which is another of those "parent-isms" I can't believe I hear coming out of my own mouth, now that I'm the parent!).  Luckily, I don't see either of my children having this problem of fearing to make mistakes.  But if you have a child like that, this book is definitely for you.  Beatrice Bottomwell is "the girl who never makes mistakes."  She has a little brother, Carl, who makes lots of mistakes, but she never does.  In fact, she goes out of her way never to try anything that might lead to making a mistake.  Big problem - she's missing out on all the fun!  One day she participates in a talent show and makes her first mistake ever.  How does she react?  How does this change her life?  You'll have to read the book to find out!  Suffice to say, this is an excellent tale on how having a fear of failure leads very quickly to a very boring life - Feel the Fear and DO IT ANYWAY as I tell my kiddos.  Making mistakes is NOT the end of the world, but a way to learn.  Excellent book - I highly recommend it.

About the authors: Authors Mark Pett and Gary Rubenstein know about mistakes. For Mark, a nationally syndicated cartoonist, his appreciation for mistakes started with his experience as an art instructor. Whenever he gave his classes a free-style drawing period, there was always a student who spent more time worried about not messing up and creating a perfect project – instead of exploring and creating and trying something new. Similarly, teacher Gary Rubenstein noticed that his students were so concerned with having the right answer in class that they opted to not say anything rather than risk uttering the wrong one.


After meeting at a Teach for America reunion, the two realized that they both had the same question: why were their students so concerned about making mistakes? Three years later—both sharing the experience of being a teacher and father—they decided to write a book together that celebrated the joy of and learning that comes with drawing outside the lines and other actions too often labeled “mistakes.” The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes encourages self-empowerment by showing young girls it’s okay to be themselves without having to be perfect.

The giveaway: Win your very own copy of  The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes!

To win: Leave me a comment telling me if you are "a girl who never makes mistakes" or if you know someone who is (winner will be picked at random so your actual response will not determine the winner).  Be sure to leave your email address with your comment if you are not a blogger or your email is not easily found on your blog. This giveaway is open until 11:59 p.m., EST, Wednesday, November 2, 2011. Good Luck!

Bonus entries: Get up to 8 extra entries for a total of 9 entries (please leave a separate comment for each extra entry):

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This post was written for Sourcebooks, Inc. who provided the books for review and giveaway. I was not compensated in any way except for the complimentary book. My opinion is my own.

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