Starred Review The Mistakes That Made Us
Confessions from Twenty Poets
Scoring a goal against your own team. Copying a classmate’s schoolwork. Accepting a dare to jump down the stairs . . . and getting hurt.
This engrossing poetry anthology explores making mistakes and learning from them. Twenty brave poets―Linda Sue Park, Margarita Engle, Allan Wolf, David Elliott, Matt Forrest Esenwine, Lacresha Berry, George Ella Lyon, Jaime Adoff, Vikram Madan, Kim Rogers, Douglas Florian, Tabatha Yeatts, Jorge Argueta, Jane Yolen, Charles Waters, JaNay Brown-Wood, Irene Latham, April Halprin Wayland, Darren Sardelli, and Naomi Shihab Nye―share real-life mistakes they made as young people . . . and what happened next. Edited by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, with brilliantly evocative illustrations by Mercè López, this is a book for all who are growing and discovering and still figuring out who we are. (Which is to say . . . all of us!)
Format | Your Price | Add |
---|---|---|
978-1-7284-9210-0
|
$14.24 | |
979-8-7656-3024-2
|
$23.99 |
Awards
- Notable Award ALA Notable Children's Book
- Notable Award NCTE Notable Poetry Books and Verse Novels
- CYBILS Award Nominee
Reviews
Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)
“The collection is an excellent resource for teaching self-acceptance and discussing mistakes or perfectionism. Reviewer Rating: 5”—Children’s Literature
The Horn Book Magazine
“The poems themselves are narrative snapshots, sometimes rhyming, often in free verse, and rich in emotion and introspection. Illustrator López creates entire, emotive scenes with expressive faces, poses, and repeating motifs in the mixed-media art.”—Horn Book Magazine
Starred Review Booklist
“The strength of this collection comes from the authors admitting their mistakes and going on to explain the value of the resulting learning opportunities. A gentle reminder of the stepping stones making up the path to growth, discovery, and creativity.”—starred, Booklist
School Library Journal
“An engaging, emotionally honest collection of poetry that offers children a comforting glimpse of adults and their imperfections . . . This accessible, well-tuned collection of poetry will reassure and delight young readers in equal measure.”—School Library Journal
Starred Review Publishers Weekly
“Dynamic mixed-media artwork from López (Sylvie and the Wolf) offers energetic visual support for each poem in an anthology packed with a broad spectrum of human emotion and experience.”—starred, Publishers Weekly
Kirkus Reviews
“Comforting reminders that nobody’s perfect, infused with lessons large and small.”—Kirkus Reviews