There are many people out there who spend a large part of the lives trying to be perfect. They get it into their heads that perfection is attainable and that mistakes are not to be tolerated. Over the years I have come to the conclusion that perfection is overrated. Not to mention the fact that trying to get it usually makes one miserable.
In today's picture book you will meet a little girl who never makes mistakes. Ever.
Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein
Illustrated by Mark Pett
Picture Book
For ages 5 to 8
Sourcebooks, 2011, 978-1-4022-5544-1
Beatrice Bottomwell never makes mistakes. Really. She has never goofed in any way, and everything she has ever done has always been perfect. Naturally Beatrice is rather famous. People are eager to see “the Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes.”
One day Beatrice almost makes a mistake while she is cooking with her two friends at school. She slips on a piece of rhubarb while she is carrying four eggs. Most people would have dropped the eggs, but Beatrice manages to catch all four of them before they can fall and break.
For the rest of the day Beatrice worries that she might make a mistake during her juggling performance at the school talent show. Her father tells her not to worry, and reminds her that “you don’t mistakes.” Unfortunately in this instance Beatrice’s father is wrong because Beatrice does make a mistake during her performance. And it is a doozy.
The is a perfect book for all those perfectionists (of all ages) out there who are convinced that mistakes are not to be tolerated. Readers will come to see that Beatrice’s mistake-free life is actually not that much fun, and that mistakes have a place in our lives, even the unpleasant ones.
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