My Book of Beautiful Oops! — Barney Saltzberg

Every mistake is an opportunity to make something beautiful. This is the central idea of Beautiful Oops!, Barney Saltzberg's beloved bestseller -- and now My Book of Beautiful Oops!, an interactive journal for young artists, takes that principle into unexpected new directions.

A hands-on journal that's meant to be personalized -- drawn in, painted on, torn up, smudged, or otherwise artistically wrecked -- My Book of Beautiful Oops! is filled with folded, crumpled, die-cut, and lift-the-flap pages that will challenge the reader's sense of play. The friendly green alligator from the first book prompts the reader: Bend a page. Decorate a smudge. Play with splats and spills. Even complete a poem that was accidentally ripped in half.

My Beautiful Book of Oops! champions imagination, play, and the courage to express oneself. It's about self-forgiveness, about turning off that inner critic that clamors for perfection. And it's about freedom -- the freedom to be creative and follow your curiosity wherever it goes. That's a lesson to celebrate.