|
The Book of Mistakes
Last updated Wednesday, September 4, 2024
Author: Corinna Luyken
Date of Publication: 2017
ISBN: 0735227926
Grade Level: 3rd (GLCs: Click here for grade level guidelines.)
Date(s) Used: Sep. 2024
Synopsis:
"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.
Each page shows one small glimpse of the final picture, inviting readers to turn the page to see the rest. The simple text draws readers' attention to the illustrations, and thorough examination is rewarded with playful little details. This is a story about how mistakes can change us all for the better if we are brave enough to face them and march ahead.
| Note to readers: |
| • |
A drawing changes as something new is added on each page. Sometimes the artist makes a
mistake…and must find a fix into the rest of the picture; sometimes a new idea is brilliant.
|
| • |
Like a real person, the girl in the drawing is constantly growing and changing. Surviving mistakes.
And become something more.
|
| Discussion topics for before reading: |
| • |
Do you like to draw? Do you sometimes make mistakes?
|
| • |
What do you do when you make a mistake? (Throw away and start new? Start again on the other side of the paper? Use an eraser? Cut off the part that you don’t like? Scratch out or color over the mistake? Find a way to add the mistake into the original drawing?)
Vocabulary
|
| • |
Mistake: something that turns out differently than first planned. An opportunity to change or make better..
|
| • |
Ruffled: no longer straight or flat; as if someone ran their fingers through.
|
| • |
Frog-cat-cow thing: not sure what it is, but it looks like a little bit of everything!
|
| • |
Smudge: the mess made when you rub paint or ink with your finger and smear it on the page.
|
| • |
Become: to change into something new
|
| Discussion topics for during/after reading: |
| • |
What did the artist do when s/he made a mistake?
|
| • |
The girl in the picture changed with every addition to the drawing. Even the mistakes became
something that was special about her. What did the girl become by the end of the book?
|
| • |
What were some of your favorite mistakes in the story?
|
| • |
Is it OK to make mistakes? Can we become something new and better when we make mistakes?
|
| Craft ideas: |
| • |
Have the students draw a picture of girl in the story, from memory. Stop several times to have them add something new into the drawing (e.g., googly eyes, the color red, a button, a ribbon).
|
| • |
Same idea, but, have the students exchange their drawings and then continue on with the work the other student started.
|
| Special activities: |
| • |
A student starts to tell a story. Other students suggest things that need to be added into the story.
Students take turns as story teller and story changer.
|
*Note: These craft ideas are just suggestions.
You can use them, but you don't have to use them.
You can expand upon them, or add your own twist.
Remember, though, that the focus of your time should
not be on the development and execution of a craft;
the focus should be on the read-aloud and the
enjoyment of the book!
|
