Review: My Sometimes Mistakes

My Sometimes Mistakes

by Leah Chana Rubabshi, illustrated by Miriam Rooney

Hachai Publishing, 2025

Category: Picture Books

Reviewer: Ellie Grossman Cohen

 

Buy at Amazon.com

One of the best perks of being a parent is teaching our children the same lessons we need to be reminded of—namely, the blessings of making mistakes that help us become better human beings. This important Jewish concept of teshuva is the storyline in this picture book, which contains Jewish nuggets of wisdom that resonate with young children without being over their heads.

In this engaging story, a boy learns something new every time he makes a mistake. Through rhyming and clever text, accompanied by colorful, expressive illustrations, young children ages 2-5 will relate to the simple everyday mistakes that help the boy grow and learn and change his behavior.

Every scenario has a resolution, and this pattern leads to healthy self esteem, especially in the context of a supportive, loving family depicted in the book. For example, the main character learns how to put on his sneakers so he doesn’t trip and fall; he understands how to help his younger sibling get dressed, without making fun of his baby brother; he discovers why it’s better to play ball outdoors than inside the house; and he practices independence when he cleans up spilled milk.

The last mistake is about lashon hara and the impact of mean speech. When the boy says harsh words to his good friend during a basketball game, he feels even worse after he hurt his buddy’s feelings. He asks for forgiveness, and this teaches young children how to work out conflicts and enrich friendships.

Throughout the book, the facial expressions on the wide-eyed characters speak louder than words.
 

My Sometimes Mistakes is appropriate for religious and secular children, as the characters are easily identified as Jewish and are depicted in Orthodox dress. The boys wear kippot and tzitzits peek out of their t-shirts as they go about their day, whether at home with their family or playing a basketball game in the gym. Also a tzedakah box with Hebrew letters is displayed on his bedroom dresser next to a tower of Legos. Furthermore, a back page is dedicated to deeper Jewish explanations geared towards parents and teachers.

Also, the author Leah Chana Rubabshi gives a shoutout to Hashem:

“We mistakes every now and again,
‘Cause nobody’s perfect except for Hashem.”

  

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Originally from St. Louis, Reviewer Ellie Grossman Cohen launched her journalism career in the late 80s as a newspaper/magazine feature writer. She is also the author of “Mishegas of Motherhood…Raising Children to Leave the Nest, As Long As They Come Home for Dinner,” a collection of parenting humor essays that combines domestic satire and Jewish wisdom of the sages. As an empty nester who now spends most of her time in Sarasota, she is excited to break into the Jewish Kid Lit world. She is currently working on her first children’s picture book inspired by her family vacations at the beach.