Book Review: The Book of Mistakes, written and illustrated by Corinna Luyken
Goodness, this book is a gorgeous gathering of images and messages all bundled up into one wonderful book.
Artist Corinna Luyken has shared her vulnerable artmaking approach in this whimsical story about how sometimes the mistakes we make (in art or life) can be the inspiration for something even better. This book won me over with it’s celebration of genuine creativity and it’s clever incorporation of the artmaking process into the story. The drawings are full of personality and character and as the story evolves we get to see how those characters and mistakes fit into the big picture.
To extend the learning from this book, here are some more suggestions for activities.
- Have a chat about how sometimes our mistakes can be really frustrating but maybe we could look at them as inspiration instead. Mistakes are part of the artmaking process and the more we accept that, the more we will learn about art.
- Draw a character, but as you make mistakes, turn those mistakes into unique characteristics for your drawing.
- In pairs, draw 4-5 lines and/or shapes on a piece of paper. Swap the paper with the other person and try to turn the lines and shapes into a picture.
For more creativity inspiring book suggestions, visit our library.
