Magic Mistakes

Book excerpt: Daunted. Petrified. Whether it’s tasting a new food, diving into a pool or riding a bike, Frankie Lane won’t risk not being the best. Join Frankie and her fantastically daring friend Tallulah Flare on an adventure into the wonder of Magic Mistakes. This book encourages us to embrace our imperfections, take risks and welcome failure as a part of growth. It will help parents, caregivers and teachers support children to be more resilient when faced with life’s ‘oopsy lohs.’ I hope all teachers in the first years of school will read about and appreciate Frankie’s difficulty with stepping outside her comfort zone, trying things that she may not be good at, and taking a risk. These are the ‘ordinary anxieties’ and ‘ordinary difficulties’ that all of us, children and adults alike, may face each day. Author Belinda Blecher captures Frankie’s uncomfortable, unspoken feelings through an expressive text that will appeal to readers and listeners. Frankie’s reticence to try new things and her fear of failure will be readily understood by young children. In Magic Mistakes, it is a child, Tallulah, who offers Frankie another perspective on the unexpected. Rather than errors to be feared, she shows how mistakes can offer new opportunities. They can be fun. Tallulah’s encouragement persuades Frankie to think differently about herself. She is now ready to take a risk. In preschool and the early years of school, teachers can be the ‘Tallulah, agent of change’ for children like Frankie. Children thrive when they have supportive relationships with emotionally sensitive teachers who are attuned to the difficulties, as well as the successes, they experience at school. By reading the story of Frankie and Tallulah, teachers can open up the space for children to talk about their own fears, or how they might help someone who is scared to try something new. These are key skills and personal attributes that every student should be supported to develop at school. – Prof. Linda Harrison, Early Childhood, Macquarie University Magic Mistakes sows seeds of resilience into little people, providing an optimal foundation for them to blossom into psychologically flexible young adults. This wonderful book teaches children (and their parents) that failure is not to be feared, as it is where great learning happens. It provides an essential message for young children, giving them the mindset to successfully navigate the challenges that life will inevitably throw their way! – Dr Sue Morris, author of The Rubber Brain School of Psychology, University of New South Wales, Sydney This is a glorious book. It shows how our fear of mistakes can narrow what we try. But, with the magic of companionship our fears can be confronted, as someone is with you in your worries. – Dr. Robyn Dolby, Psychologist, Secure Beginnings