Thursday 20 February 2020

Milly's Marvellous Mistakes! by Peta Rainford


Today I am happy to be sharing my review of the fabulous new book by Peta Rainford, Milly's Marvellous Mistakes, which is released today. I've been lucky enough to read and review some of her other books (Jacob Starke Loves The Dark, Isabella's Adventures In Numberland and The Niggle) and couldn't wait to dive into this one! 

Milly's Marvellous Mistakes!

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!

Our hero, Milly May, more than anything, wants to paint beautiful pictures. But she always ends up with blots and smudges. She really WISHES she was a better artist, and then - hey presto! - her fairy godmother appears (looking a little bit like the artist Frida Khalo!) and grants her wish.

Milly is soon turning out paintings in the style of famous artists, including: Van Gogh and Da Vinci! There are lots of great visual jokes in this beautifully illustrated and colourful book.

But Milly soon discovers that success that comes too easily may not be worth having - especially if it means losing friends.

This funny, rhyming picture book - about art, friendship and the dangers of instant gratification - says it's ok to make mistakes. Like Peta Rainford's previous book, The Niggle, it tackles the issue of resilience in a humorous, imaginative and child-friendly way.

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

My Review

Another absolutely amazing book by Peta Rainford. I'm pretty sure each time I read a new one, I say it's my favourite so far and that's happening again now! Milly's Marvellous Mistakes is my new favourite of her books. 

Peta Rainford always finds the most perfect way of explaining important life lessons to children, without talking down to them or confusing them AND she does it in rhyme! One of the lessons in MMM is that it's not about the end result, it's about the journey you took to get there. Yes you may make mistakes, but the result will be honestly earned. 

The art (which is also done by Peta) is beautiful. The nods to famous artists is a really nice touch and I found myself checking all the paintings to see what I recognised. It gives something extra as well to discuss with your child as you can explore more of an artist's work if they particularly liked one of the pictures or you could talk about their favourite way of drawing. I love books that bring more questions from the Nerdlings. 

The book is brilliant for children, but I think it also has so much to keep adults wanting to read along too. I honestly recommend these books to everyone. 

I gave this book 5 stars.

About The Author


I was lucky enough to have Peta Rainford on my feature, Getting To Know... If you'd like to check that out. 

Peta writes and illustrates her funny picture 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 children in their writing and art. She has appeared at a number of festivals and other events, including: Barnes 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.


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