Beautiful Oops! - by Barney Saltzberg (Hardcover)

About the Book

Saltzberg ("Good Egg") offers a one-of-a-kind interactive book that shows young readers how every mistake is an opportunity to make something beautiful. Pop-ups, lift-the-flaps, tears, holes, and smudges demonstrate the magical transformation from blunder to wonder. Full color.

Book Synopsis

A spill. A smear. A smudge. A tear. When you think you have made a mistake, think of it as an opportunity to make something beautiful!

A life lesson that all parents want their children to embrace: It's okay to make a mistake. In fact, hooray for mistakes! A mistake is an adventure in creativity, a portal to discovery. A spill doesn't ruin a drawing--not when it becomes the shape of a goofy animal. And an accidental tear in your paper? Don't be upset about it when you can turn it into the roaring mouth of an alligator.

An award-winning, best-selling, one-of-a-kind interactive book (now with 650,000 copies sold!), Beautiful Oops! shows young readers how every mistake is an opportunity to make something beautiful. A singular work of imagination, creativity, and paper engineering, Beautiful Oops! is filled with pop-ups, lift-the-flaps, tears, holes, overlays, bends, smudges, and even an accordion "telescope"--each demonstrating the magical transformation from blunder to wonder. A paint smudge becomes the face of a bunny, a crumpled ball of paper turns into a lamb's fleecy coat--celebrate the oops in life.

Review Quotes

A pleasingly tactile exploration of the possibilities inherent in mistakes. "A torn piece of paper... is just the beginning!" Spills, folded paper, drips of paint, smudges and smears--they "all can make magic appear." An increasingly complex series of scenarios celebrates random accidents, encouraging artistic experimentation rather than discouragement. The folded-over paper can be a penguin's head; a torn piece of newsprint can turn into a smiling dog with a little application of paint; a hot-chocolate stain can become a bog for a frog. Thanks to a telescoping pop-up, a hole is filled with nearly limitless possibilities. The interactive elements work beautifully with the photo-collaged "mistakes," never overwhelming the intent with showiness. Saltzberg's trademark cartoon animals provide a sweetly childlike counterpoint to the artful scribbles and smears of gloppy paint. A festive invitation to creative liberation. - Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Barney Saltzberg is the author of more than 30 books for children, including Beautiful Oops!, My Book of Beautiful Oops!, Good Egg, and the bestselling Touch and Feel Kisses series. Additionally, he's recorded four albums of songs for children. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, two dogs, and a pond full of fish.