The Book of Heroic Failures (Penguin Readers Series : Pre-Intermediate)
Penguin Joint Venture Readers S. Series
What’s inside...
This book chronicles the humorous and endearing tales of people who are exceptionally bad at everyday tasks. From drivers who can't drive to travelers who always get lost, and policemen who fail at catching criminals, it highlights the amusing side of human ineptitude. Alongside this, 'Penguin Readers' is a series designed to help students and English language learners enjoy reading through simplified novels and original titles. These books are graded at different levels of difficulty and come with exercises, discussion points, and sometimes accompanying audio or factsheets to enhance the learning experience.
Series reading
Non-Sequential
Age
9-10
Length
48 pages
Text complexity
Discussion points
What do you think the characters learned from their failures?
How did the characters' failures make you feel? Can you relate to any of their experiences?
Why is it important to try even if we might fail?
How do the characters change or grow by the end of the book?
What's one failure you've experienced that taught you something valuable?
Tip: Role play these questions
Encourage your child to share personal experiences related to the theme of failure and discuss the lessons learned from those experiences.
Validate your child's feelings about failure, emphasizing that everyone fails and it's a natural part of learning and growing.
Ask your child to consider alternative endings to the stories, discussing how different actions might have led to different outcomes.
Help your child draw connections between the stories in the book and real-life scenarios to deepen their understanding of the book’s themes.
Encourage your child to think about how they might support a friend or peer in a similar situation of failing at something.
Key lessons
Example Lesson: Embracing Imperfection
Explanation: The book humorously presents various stories of people's mistakes or failures, teaching that errors are a universal part of the human experience.
Real-World Application: Children learn to accept their own mistakes and view them as opportunities for learning and growth, reducing anxiety over perfection.
Example Lesson: Resilience and Persistence
Explanation: Through tales of individuals who continue trying despite setbacks, the book showcases the importance of persistence.
Real-World Application: This encourages children to persist in their endeavors, whether it be school projects or learning a new skill, even when things get tough.
Example Lesson: Creativity in Problem Solving
Explanation: The accounts of unconventional solutions to problems highlight creative thinking.
Real-World Application: Children can apply creative thinking in their daily problem-solving, enhancing their ability to think outside the box in various situations.
Example Lesson: Learning from History
Explanation: By exploring historical examples of failures, the book provides insights into how past mistakes can inform future decisions.
Real-World Application: This lesson can help children understand the value of history in learning and how it can be applied to avoid repeating mistakes in personal or communal decisions.
Example Lesson: Humor as a Coping Mechanism
Explanation: The light-hearted treatment of failures demonstrates how humor can be used to deal with and overcome difficult situations.
Real-World Application: Children learn to use humor to relieve stress and maintain a positive outlook even in challenging times.