Call us biased, but we think the best presents come in book form. Since we’ve recently welcomed the newest little Workman-ites into our extended office family, that got us thinking about our favorite gifts for new parents. Here are just a few of our picks for the new mom, new dad, and mama-to-be:

• Snuggle Puppy by Sandra Boynton – What could be better than a great big hug in book form? It’s the perfect love letter from parent to child.

• Beautiful Oops by Barney Saltzberg – A sweet book with a powerful message: When you make a mistake, think of it as an opportunity to make something beautiful!

• Gallop by Rufus Butler Seder – Every turn of the page brings a new animal to life: a horse in full gallop, a turtle swimming, an eagle soaring. It’s impossible not to flip the pages again and again!

• Indestructibles - Beautifully illustrated books that babies can really sink their teeth into! They’re waterproof, tear-proof–baby-proof!–and truly impossible to destroy. (Trust us, we’ve tried.)

• What to Expect the First Year by Heidi Murkoff – Why not get something for the new mama, too? This book has absolutely everything parents needs to know about their baby’s first year from one of the most trusted names in pregnancy.

Barney Saltzberg, known around the office for being a Good Egg and a Beautiful Oops-urtunist, recently took a break from working on his next book, Arlo Needs Glasses, to stop by the Workman offices.  In addition to his talent for writing and illustrating, Barney plays guitar, a hobby he shares with Workman’s group publisher, Bob Miller.  Watch the two play Jackson Browne’s “Song for Adam” below.  The song doesn’t have much to do with Arlo, an interactive book for kids (coming in April) about the elementary school rite of passage of going from two eyes to four, but we like it anyway.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnLADagnCfU[/youtube]

March is National Craft Month, and to celebrate, we here at Workman are featuring projects from some of our many fun crafting books. Today, we’re doing things a little differently and showing off a (Beautiful Oops) craft fail from Papertoy Monsters by Brian Castleforte.

Recently, I sat down with a friend and a copy of Papertoy Monsters. I hadn’t made a monster since the pre-publication folding party in our office a few months back, but needless to say, I have a couple hundred Papertoy Monsters under my belt and was feeling pretty confident. So I started with Scorpion Robot (labeled “advanced”).

And this is how he turned out:

Note the poor folding, wonky leg, and overall significant left lean.

As you can see, mine went slightly . . . awry. My friend, with no papertoy-making experience, had better luck with Wingy Wingy (labeled, it should be noted, “Intermediate”):

Thanks, friend, for showing me up.

But, I have decided to look at it this way: Scorpion Robot is much more fierce and intimidating with all of his quirks. Who’s ever thought to themselves, That monster is so perfect he’s scary!?

Scorpion Robot is now proudly displayed on my shelves next to a copy of the error-approving Beautiful Oops by Barney Salzberg. Because, okay, maybe he’s not beautiful, but he’s still pretty awesome, flaws and all.

____________________________________________________________

Check out the Papertoy Monsters blog to meet more of the monsters in the book, and Barney’s blog to see more of his gorgeous “oops art.”

Oops! He did it again. Barney Saltzberg’s error-approving Beautiful Oops! has inspired another perfectionist to embrace her mistakes. Here’s the heartwarming story from the young girl’s mother.

“Nora is a kid who sets high standards for herself.  She is creative and artistic, but she tends to get frustrated and disheartened when her pieces don’t turn out the way she had envisioned. The ‘Beautiful Oops’ concept was quite a revelation for her. I could see the weight come off her shoulders as it dawned on her that ‘mistakes’ are just a normal part of the creative process. I think seeing your ‘mistakes’ published in a real book was very powerful for her.”

Want more aww-inspiring adorableness? Check out this video from the mother-daughter team, featuring their own book of beautiful mistakes.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0x5UwJGXq9A[/youtube]

Barney’s going on tour!  Head on over to the Beautiful Oops! Facebook page to see if he’ll be visiting a city near you.

Recently, Barney Saltzberg, author of Beautiful Oops, dropped by a local school to show kids how mistakes are okay, and can be made beautiful.

Watching him with the kids is remarkable—just watch their faces as the oops turns to art.

Watch below for his entire “concert” with the kids!

Literary agent and friend of the house, Daniel Greenberg, was kind enough to share this picture of his son enjoying Beautiful Oops! “He’s currently reproducing the whole book,” adds the proud father. Looks like fun!

The actress Jamie Lee Curtis caught up with author and friend, Barney Saltzberg, and asked him to sign 20 copies of his new book, Beautiful Oops!. Someone took a photo, which Barney shared:

Not too surprising since Jamie Lee Curtis was already a fan, and had this to say about the book:

Everyone who has ever said the word ‘oops’ will be smiling when they see the masterpiece that Barney Saltzberg has created….funny and fun, Beautiful Oops! is the best gift to give anyone, any age, anywhere, anytime.”

To which we say, Thank you!

Watch as mistakes turn into something magical in Barney Saltzberg’s Beautiful Oops! Take a trip through the book, with a fun song by Barney himself to go with it, in the video below.

Buy the book:
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Powell’s Books
Indiebound

If you’d like to share this video on your website, click here for the embedding code.