I Made a Mistake: Based on a Jump Rope Rhyme

Jump-rope rhymes inspired Nerlove's brisk, witty verses and the sunny-colored illustrations of a cute girl's ""confessions.'' ``I went to the bathroom to brush my hair,/ I made a mistake . . . and brushed a bear./ I went to the pantry to look for some jam,/ I made a mistake . . . and discovered a lamb.'' Throughout the day, each contretemps involves the narrator with an animal, all of them visible in the effervescent pictures, except for the last: ``I went next door to find my friend,/ I made a mistake . . . and found the end.'' Here an impish boy appears, holding out a sign with the final words through the partly opened door. Children will have fun sharing the chanted lines and inventing new ones. (59)