SEL Read Aloud: The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein
Summary
On the day of the school talent show, like every other day, Beatrice wakes up and completes her morning routine. She gets dressed, makes her bed, feeds her hamster, and packs lunch for her brother Carl. She remembers to do everything, and she does everything just right.
When Beatrice and Carl leave to go to school, she is greeted by fans who ask if she was able to maintain her perfect record this morning. Tonight she will perform her award-winning juggling routine. Most people call her “the Girl Who Never Makes Mistakes.” She could not be more different than Carl, who isn’t bothered by even the silliest mistakes.
At school, Beatrice nearly drops four eggs during a cooking activity, and she can’t stop thinking about it. Later, she refuses to join two friends who are struggling to ice skate. At dinner, she tells her dad she is worried about making a mistake at the talent show.
That night, Beatrice juggles her pet hamster, a salt shaker, and a water balloon. Everything is going well, until she notices she grabbed accidentally grabbed the pepper shaker instead. The pepper causes her hamster to sneeze and grab and pop the water balloon, ruining the performance.
Both she and the audience are stunned, until she starts laughing and the audience joins along.
The next day, her fans are all gone. She decides to do things differently. She even tries ice skating. Things are messier and sillier, but more fun. People start calling her Beatrice.
Discussion Questions
- What mistakes do you think Beatrice was right to try to avoid? Which ones should she have been less worried about?
- Do you think Beatrice’s dad was helpful with his response when she told him she was worried about making a mistake?
- When was a time you were able to laugh at yourself? A time when you weren’t?
- Have you ever been given a nickname you didn’t choose for yourself?
- If you’ve ever felt pressure, where do you think the pressure came from?
Read Aloud
Additional Resources
Copyright Notice
The image on this page comes from the book The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein. Copyright © 2011 by Mark Pett and Gary Rubinstein.
