In a Nutshell: A poetry anthology aimed at middle-graders, containing confessions from twenty poets about the mistakes they made in their childhood and the lessons they learnt. Great intent, good execution. Could have limited appeal because of the poetry factor.

This anthology contains twenty poems written by twenty poets. Each poem contains a sort of confession about a mistake the poet made during their childhood and the lesson they learnt from the same. I am not a poetry fan, but the theme of this book was too good to resist.

The introductory note sets the right tone for the book, beginning by explaining how there can be various types of mistakes but each of them is a learning opportunity. It also suggests that we normalise talking about mistakes instead of focussing only on our triumphs. After all, talking about mistakes is helpful to everyone: “Together, we learn.”

The poems are divided into four theme-based sections (depending on the kind of mistake), with five poems in each. Don’t expect any poetic analysis from me. Most of the poems were in free verse, so with my outstanding poetic expertise (ahem… or lack thereof), I did what I always do: I read them as prose instead of verse. This worked quite well for the poetry-phobe in me.

The ‘mistakes’ in these poems are mostly from realistic and ordinary situations, such as keeping homework pending till the last minute or following a silly dare or saying something rude without realising it. Some are funny, some serious. Some pranks gone wrong, some secrets that shouldn’t have come out. Every reader will be able to identify with most of the situations herein.

One poem was in two languages, with the Spanish version on the left and the English translation on the right. I loved this idea, though I wasn’t a fan of the poem! (Skipping school to eat fruit plucked from a garden tree without permission – a double no-no, and not a mistake that should be justified!) A worrisome poem for me was one about a childhood jump resulting in severe back pain decades later. Yikes! I wonder which of my childhood shenanigans might lead to a future health issue!

Each poem is accompanied by a personal note from the poet, providing a back story for the situation. This was a wonderful idea, as the poem by itself could not have provided enough context.

The illustrations are quite nice, and suit the tone of the book, with the focus being on a charming realism than on mere cuteness. The characters are diverse, just like the contributing poets – always a bonus.

A part of me wishes this wasn’t in poetry form. I know I wouldn’t have read this as a child, no matter what the topic, simple because poetry never appealed to me. An anecdotal style might have gained more readers. Then again, I hope this book can be used to make kids realise that poetry needn’t be daunting or boring. Of course, this contains mostly free verse poems (with only one poem in traditional AABB rhymes), so I am not sure how much of “poetry” kids will actually be able to see in a free verse collection. (Feel free to ignore this remark – I am notorious for my dislike of free verse!)

Recommended more for the positivity and the life lessons than for the poems themselves, though the innovative structure makes the book stand out. The writing style and language will suit middle-grade readers well.

3.75 stars.

My thanks to Lerner Publishing Group for providing the DRC of “The Mistakes That Made Us” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

It is so important for kids to know that it is okay to be less than perfect. Some of them are under so much pressure and need the reminder that everyone makes mistakes and can survive them.

This book is witty, colorful, has heart, and addresses an important topic. Following the introduction, the poems are divided into categories that include Oopsie-Daisy, Stuff Happens, Blessings in Disguise, and What Have I Done. The book ends with info on each of the poets.

One feature of this book that makes it special is that each poet shares “what happened next” after having had something happen. Perhaps this title will help kids to feel less afraid of talking about the very real things that happen to them.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Lerner Publishing Group for this title. All opinions are my own.

Though geared towards kids aged 7-11, this book would also benefit adults, especially the self-proclaimed recovering perfectionists (Hint: me). This delightful book of adults sharing childhood mistakes in the form of stories as poems clearly demonstrates how mistakes help us understand more about ourselves and the world around us. It also reminds us that mistakes are human nature and we are not alone. This left me with a sense of relief and appreciation for my own mistakes throughout life. Highly recommend this quick read that provides a lot of room for reflection and conversations with kids and adults alike.

These poems were so so good! And I think just about everyone can relate to these on some level, it had me thinking about what I would've written about! We all have those mistakes we think about on random days when they pop up in our memories!

Everyone makes mistakes. In this book, 20 poets share examples of mistakes they made.
Each poem covers a childhood mistake like scoring a goal for the wrong team, mispronouncing a word in front of the entire class or confiding a secret after swearing to remain silent. Most children can relate to these mistakes.
Adults can also learn how to persevere, begin again and forgive themselves and others.
The illustrations are colorful and match the poems. I appreciated the attention to detail.
Mistakes are temporary, and this book can encourage and support all of us as we journey through life.

I deeply enjoyed reading these poems. They were honest. They were fun. They taught lessons without hitting the reader over the head. I liked the little vignettes that each poet wrote, explaining the origin of the poem. I thought that was handled well. The artwork was spot on. It did a lot to add to the enjoyment of this book. I wish my kid were little again, so I could read it aloud to them.

I really enjoyed the illustrations in this one and the theme of learning from your mistakes. The little notes from each of the poets was a very nice touch. Some of the poems were a little weak but for the most part this feels like a nice collection.

i absolutely adored this collection of poetry! this collection of children's poetry teaches young minds that mistakes provide lessons that one can learn from. Each author shares a poem, each about a mistake they have made, then a blurb that they use to explain the situation that caused the mistake and what they learned from it. I highly recommend parents purchase this for their children to read with their parents or on their own. excellent.

I really enjoyed this collection of poems. The childhood mistakes the authors shared with the readers are so relatable. I'm sure many of my middle-schoolers would agree. I especially loved reading the when, where, and sometimes consequences in the brief explanation. I would use this book as a read aloud and/or to plan my poetry lessons for my seventh-graders.

This was an excellent collection of poems! It's so important to learn from mistakes, a lesson that is particularly hard for my gifted kiddos who strive for perfection. I am moved by the stories in this anthology and inspired to reflect on my own mistakes that shaped me into the person I am today. I can't wait to have this book in my library in October!

Thank you to Net Galley, Irene Latham and Charles Waters (contribution selectors), Merce Lopez (illustrator), and every poet who contributed for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The art in this book is super cute and diverse, perfectly accompanying this selection of poems about mistakes people have made. It is refreshing to se the diversity as well as the various mistakes, and to be able to relate and understand we are all human and mistakes happen...and hopefully we learn from them.

My favorite poem is "Silent" by Kim Rogers about a girl whose school celebrates this "Pioneer Day" thing, but she is Native American. It's basically a celebration against her people. So eventually she stops going to school every year on that day and it turns out she celebrates her culture with her family instead! I really appreciate the perspective this poem offers. There is also a poem written in Spanish and translated to English called "Escapando" by Jorge Argueta that I also appreciated. I really like that the selectors added a poem in another language (while also offering a translation).

The diversity in this collection is a great show of the differences people have, but highlights that fact that we are all human, and thus we all make mistakes. That's a part of the human experience! A really fun book great for later elementary, middle school, or even early high school to show that mistakes happen, but they add to who we are and the stories we have to tell.

This book was a wonderful way to get to know the.authors. this poetry book is a.testament to their !mistakes growing up. I think everyone can relate to just about everything the authors wrote about their experiences. Some of the poems were funny some were "I did this and I know.what is being talked about". The book made me think of all the things I have done when I was younger. I think the kids.would love this book so much and they might ask their parents questions about their mistakes. A must read!!

I received a free copy of the.book and is voluntary writing a review

Lovely illustrations and themes.
The execution is 4 stars.
A great read for older children due to some abstract ideas in the poems.

The Mistakes That Made Us by Irene Latham and Charles Waters

The Mistakes That Make Us is an illustrated book of Poems. This book of poems wasn’t what I was expecting, however I really enjoyed the cute poems with the antidotes. The poems have great messages, showing that everyone makes mistakes, and we learn from them. It’s a cute inspirational message, told in fun playful illustrations. The poems and illustrations match nicely. This is definitely not for younger children as they would be to wordy for little attention spans, but would be great for elementary age kids, 4th to 6th grade.

Although this book wasn't what I was expecting, I still enjoyed it! I thought that the illustrations were done really well, and people looked realistic, but not overly so. This is impressive! I think that the way the illustrator decided to make illustrations to go with interpretations of each poem was a very smart idea, and it paid off immensely. The little bursts of color (and some absolutely beautiful watercolor details) were amazing and supported an artsy theme.
For the overall book, I think it's good for what it is. One thing that I really liked what how different poems with common themes were organized into specific chapters. This helped keep the book from getting to overwhelming or messy. Another thing that worked really well was the little blurbs from the poets that explained a bit about the experience the poem was drawn from or about. It gives the reader a fun look inside the making of each poem and the different poets' life experiences. It also works really well with the title because it shows just how each mistake shaped each poet.
Everything about this book was great, I just want to make sure to note that, while it might not seem so, I think this book is definitely for 5th-8th graders. I would not have a young reader read this, simply because they just wouldn't find it interesting yet. Among that, there is just one other note I'd like to make. I think that this book will quickly become boring to kids that aren't fully into poetry. While it is mostly just writing short stories in a different form, I don't think that kids that don't usually go for poetry would get bored of this book pretty quickly. Although, there is a very diverse range of types of poems and experiences that will likely resonate with every kid, whether they like poetry or not.

Not particularly engaging. The poetry isn't really visual and doesn't elicit much feeling or shared embarrassment. Not recommended.

I'm not much of a poetry person myself, but i found these bits delightful. The stories are entertaining, the illustrations captivate the reader and I love how encouraging it is. I think pre-teens and older kids would benefit from reading this one.

I thought it was a good read for older children. However I found it a bit hard to follow. It did not seem to flow right for me. The illustrations were nice and it was well conceptualized.

"The Mistakes That Made Us" is a fantastic book to teach young children that it is okay (and maybe even GOOD!) to make mistakes and the power of a growth mindset. I really liked reading the poems but my favorite part was the blurb from each author about what they learned from their mistakes. The illustrations are also colorful and fun to look at. I'm looking forward to reading this book with my perfectionist 6 year old!

Everybody makes mistakes! In this book, there are wonderful poems by people who learned from their own mistakes. The poets also explain the real-life situations that inspired them. This is fantastic both as a poetry collection and as a book that can help people realize that their mistakes don't define them in a negative way. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.