Will I love Beautiful Oops!?

I love this book because it tells children that all of those little things that may discourage a budding artist can be turned into something beautiful.

A torn page can become an alligator’s mouth. A folded corner can become a penguin’s head, and a spill can become all sorts of wonderful things. A terrific message for someone of any age who wants to explore and create.

I love the message of this fun, 3-dimensional book: that what may seem like a mistake can actually become the best part of our art. It’s something my high school art teacher called “serendipity.” Perhaps a drip of paint can actually become a part of the painting you hadn’t even considered before.

The concept of going with the flow and solving problems instead of just reaching for a new piece of paper is such a good reminder for artists of all ages. 

My co-parent and I work very hard to instill joy in our child’s self-directed learning, but there are times when he is very hard on himself when he makes mistakes.

We’re not sure where his efforts towards perfectionism are rooted, but this book has opened his mind and heart to accept that an “oops” can indeed be beautiful, and that all wrong answers, or attempts at art that fall short of a vision, are simply opportunities to learn and grow from.

The imaginative Beautiful Oops! is a fun, artistic romp with an interactive design. There are many creative ways of engaging the child, such as lift-the-flap, look through the hole, and so forth. All are in the service of how to incorporate mistakes into your art, and presumably into your life. Wouldn’t it be lovely to be a family or a classroom that describes inconsequential mistakes as beautiful oopsies? I suspect that far fewer meltdowns would ensue.