The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes

In their children's book debut, Rubinstein and cartoonist Pett (the Lucky Cow comic strip) introduce Beatrice, a guarded elementary schooler who has yet to make a mistake, earning her town-wide fame. Leaving the house for school, Beatrice is swarmed by fans: "They asked if she made her bed. She had. They asked if she forgot to do her math homework. Nope." In cooking class, though, she almost drops some eggs, and this "Almost Mistake" troubles her, especially with the talent show that evening. Though the title might suggest a pompous, know-it-all heroine, Beatrice is anything but; she never set out to achieve perfection, instead falling into a role, the pressures of which clearly weigh on her. In Pett's energetic ink-and-watercolor cartoons, which vary full-page scenes with inset panels, Beatrice comes across as introspective and lonely. Her comical on-stage juggling gaffe at the talent show is the tide-turning moment, after which Beatrice allows herself to mess up--and to have fun doing so. The book's message is unmistakable (so to speak), paired with a subtler reminder of how easy it is to have one's confidence shaken. Ages 4-up. (Nov.)

Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

K-Gr 3--Beatrice Bottomwell, as her many friends and admirers know, does everything just right, from making the perfect peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich to juggling. But when she almost drops an egg in cooking class, she can't stop thinking about her "Almost Mistake," worrying that it will happen again. And happen it does--right in the middle of her big salt-shaker-hamster-water-balloon juggling act in the school talent show, when Beatrice makes her first error in a huge, public way. After surviving that, she learns to take chances and risks making more mistakes. Pett's beady-eyed cartoon illustrations are expressive and winsome, a perfect complement to this story of a girl finding out that it's okay to be imperfect.--Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

"A refreshing fable that assures kids it's OK to mess up once in a while — but doesn't beat them over the head with the moral.

The mom's take: Gary Rubinstein's tale of a 9-year-old perfectionist is a refreshing fable that assures kids it's OK to mess up once in a while — but doesn't beat them over the head with the moral. Mark Pett's gentle cartoon illustrations liven up even more the story of an ordinary-looking girl who clings to her image of being anything but ordinary.

The kid's take: When my 7-year-old son...finished, he sat with a thoughtful look on his face for a moment — then reopened the book to read it through again. If that's not a recommendation, I don't know what is." - The Oregonian Parenting Blog