The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets - Compiled by Irene Latham & Charles Waters - ★★★.¾

COMPILERS: Irene Latham & Charles Waters

ILLUSTRATOR: Mercè López

GENRE: Middle-grade Poetry.

PUBLICATION DATE: October 1, 2024

RATING: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: A poetry anthology aimed at middle-graders, containing confessions from twenty poets about the mistakes they made in their childhood and the lessons they learnt. Great intent, good execution. Could have limited appeal because of the poetry factor.

This anthology contains twenty poems written by twenty poets. Each poem contains a sort of confession about a mistake the poet made during their childhood and the lesson they learnt from the same. I am not a poetry fan, but the theme of this book was too good to resist.

The introductory note sets the right tone for the book, beginning by explaining how there can be various types of mistakes but each of them is a learning opportunity. It also suggests that we normalise talking about mistakes instead of focussing only on our triumphs. After all, talking about mistakes is helpful to everyone: “Together, we learn.”

The poems are divided into four theme-based sections (depending on the kind of mistake), with five poems in each. Don’t expect any poetic analysis from me. Most of the poems were in free verse, so with my outstanding poetic expertise (ahem… or lack thereof), I did what I always do: I read them as prose instead of verse. This worked quite well for the poetry-phobe in me.

The ‘mistakes’ in these poems are mostly from realistic and ordinary situations, such as keeping homework pending till the last minute or following a silly dare or saying something rude without realising it. Some are funny, some serious. Some pranks gone wrong, some secrets that shouldn’t have come out. Every reader will be able to identify with most of the situations herein.

One poem was in two languages, with the Spanish version on the left and the English translation on the right. I loved this idea, though I wasn’t a fan of the poem! (Skipping school to eat fruit plucked from a garden tree without permission – a double no-no, and not a mistake that should be justified!) A worrisome poem for me was one about a childhood jump resulting in severe back pain decades later. Yikes! I wonder which of my childhood shenanigans might lead to a future health issue!

Each poem is accompanied by a personal note from the poet, providing a back story for the situation. This was a wonderful idea, as the poem by itself could not have provided enough context.

The illustrations are quite nice, and suit the tone of the book, with the focus being on a charming realism than on mere cuteness. The characters are diverse, just like the contributing poets – always a bonus.

A part of me wishes this wasn’t in poetry form. I know I wouldn’t have read this as a child, no matter what the topic, simple because poetry never appealed to me. An anecdotal style might have gained more readers. Then again, I hope this book can be used to make kids realise that poetry needn’t be daunting or boring. Of course, this contains mostly free verse poems (with only one poem in traditional AABB rhymes), so I am not sure how much of “poetry” kids will actually be able to see in a free verse collection. (Feel free to ignore this remark – I am notorious for my dislike of free verse!)

Recommended more for the positivity and the life lessons than for the poems themselves, though the innovative structure makes the book stand out. The writing style and language will suit middle-grade readers well.

My thanks to Lerner Publishing Group for providing the DRC of “The Mistakes That Made Us” via NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.