MILLY'S MARVELLOUS MISTAKES.

ISBN 978-0-9956463-7

MILLY'S MARVELLOUS MISTAKES by PETA RAINFORD.

Milly's Marvellous Mistakes is a funny, rhyming picture book for the X-factor generation of children brought up to expect overnight success and instant gratification!

Milly May's paintings are full of blots and smudges. She really WISHES she could do better. Then – hey presto! – her fairy godmother appears (looking a little bit like the artist Frida Khalo!) and grants her wish. But Milly soon discovers that unearned success may not be worth having and failure is not always a bad thing. Milly's Marvellous Mistakes is a funny, rhyming picture book about painting and drawing, friendship and perseverance, that says its ok to make mistakes ...

This book would be great for early readers or as a bedtime story for children of around 4 to 8 years of age.

Milly's Marvellous Mistakes, is the seventh picture book written and illustrated by Peta Rainford. Her other books are Hairy Fair, Jamie and the Joke Factory, Isabella, Rotten Speller,  Isabella’s Adventures in Numberland, The Niggle and  Jacob Starke Loves The Dark. Peta's books feature feisty girls and boys who show their emotions, and deal with childhood issues such as anxiety, resilience and friendship, with humour and a light touch.
- Information Sheet (For information about all of the books mentioned above click here)

 Milly May was getting grumpy.
The line she'd drawn was rough and bumpy.
- First Verse

With that, the fairy gave a sigh
And waved her arms towards the sky:
'I'll grant you all the skills you need,
 But there's one thing you must heed:
Wishes come in packs of three;
Please use your last two carefully ...'
- Memorable Moment, Page unnumbered

MY THOUGHTS ... I've read many children's picture books recently and I have to say that its not many of them that have captured both my imagination and heart in the same way as Milly's Marvellous Mistakes. 

I don't know if its Milly herself, that as well as liking her as a character, I could relate to her in so much as I too was the sort of child who wanted to be able to paint beautiful pictures but always ends up with blots and smudges. 

Trust me, it would still take nothing short of a fairy godmother granting me a wish in order for me to accomplish anything beyond a stick person. 

And talking of fairy godmothers ...

Yet another thing to love about the book. Proof that fairy godmothers with the power to grant wishes come in all shapes and sizes and aren't just blonde and svelte ... nor small and plump. Looking a little bit like the artist Frida Khalo, I so liked the fact that here was a fairy godmother who looked so unlike the fairy godmothers that many children are used to seeing. Maybe this was why I enjoyed the book as much as I did.

... OR maybe it was the messages conveyed; that we can't be good at everything and that it is better to have tried and failed than to have gained glory by cheating. Maybe this was why I enjoyed the book as much as I did. 

That, OR ...

Written in verse. Ideal not only for emergent reader eager to tackle books on their own but also as a story to be shared, to be read out loud either at home or in a story circle at school. Using both homonyms and 'pure' rhyme, the use of words typed in bold capital letters or in speech bubbles not only a great way to maintain interest in the story but a perfect way to encourage 'audience participation' thus a great tool in getting young readers to recognise words. Maybe this was why I enjoyed the book as much as I did.

OR, could it be that ...

Coupled with vividly coloured, child friendly illustrations; that it includes art work of the sort you'd expect from young children whilst introducing the concept of perspective, light and shade, inspired. That it offered a nod to famous artists, a nice touch (and yet another learning opportunity). More than this though, a true representation of the classroom as many children will know it, how wonderful that the characters drawn are of different ethnicities. Maybe this was why I enjoyed the book as much as I did.

SUMMED UP IN A SENTENCE ...  A fun story with some wonderful life lessons that I can well imagine being read and read again and again and ..... 

ABOUT MILLY'S MARVELLOUS MISTAKES ...

Category: Juvenile Fiction/Social Issues/Values & Virtues

Format: Paperback

Date Of Release: 20 February 2020

Available From: Amazon, Online and via all good bookshops

Peta with her hairy Jack Russell Terrier, Archie

ABOUT THE AUTHOR ... Petra writes and illustrates her funny books on the Isle of Wight, where she lives with her husband, daughter, and hairy jack russell, Archie. Peta loves going into schools to share her books and inspire childrin their writing and art. She has appeared at a number of festivals and other events, including: Barne's Children's Literature Festival, Isle of Wight Literary Festival, Exmoor Dark Skies Festival and Ventnor Fringe. She is one of the organisers of the inaugural IW Story Festival, taking place in February 2020.

My copy of Milly's Marvellous Mistakes was received with thanks from the author, Peta Rainford.