Beautiful Oops!

Barney Saltzberg (2010), 28 pages

Audience: all ages

Format: board book

Can you take a crumbled piece of paper and make it into a sheep’s coat? Can you turn a scrap piece of paper into something interesting? Why, yes you can! This book reminds everyone that mistakes are okay. In fact, making mistakes is a part of life – so why not celebrate them! Author and illustrator, Saltzberg delivers this message in a very creative and innovative way. Using a series of flaps, pop ups, and die cuts he produced a fun, interactive, and imaginative book that people (at any age) will appreciate. With some ingenuity, “Oops! A torn piece of paper” becomes a wide-smiling crocodile or watch as a little paint spill morphs into … a collection of purple puppies, a family of birds, even an elephant. Satlzberg proves that no matter the mistake, whether torn paper, a drip of paint, a stain, a hole, etc … it’s just a chance to make something unique and interesting. This board book is constructed well with durable, glossy pages … so that even young children can enjoy moving the pages and gain motor skills. Each interactive element is surprising and delightful for more details check out the publisher’s promotional video. It may just inspire you to get crafty and go make some mistakes of your own! With it’s movable parts, bright colors, and creative design-this book is both fun and functional and the authors message is timeless … mistakes provide an opportunity to be creative and imaginative and more importantly they are an opportunity to create something new … something beautiful!

Reviewed by: Katharine Quinn, SJSU MLIS Student

If you liked this book, you may like: Lines that Wiggle by Candace Whitman, or The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

Other books by this author: Kisses, Peekaboo Kisses, Crazy Hair Day, Star of the Week, Baby Animal Kisses, The Flying Garbanzos, and Cornelius P. Mud, Are You Ready for Bed?