Charlotte Barkla is a Brisbane-based writer who worked as a civil engineer and physics teacher before rediscovering her love for children's literature. She writes picture books, middle-grade fiction and feature articles.
How does it feel to have Let’s Try Again Another Day out into the world?
It is always special to have a new book out in the world. This one is particularly special as it has such a beautiful message that I feel is relatable to both kids and adults. It’s also a joy to read aloud. I love reading all my picture books to kids – it feels musical to read a rhyming text aloud, but this one feels especially nice, as it has more of a narrative structure than some of my earlier titles. It comes to a climax and feels just perfect when you read the closing pages.
What inspired you to write this book?
I was inspired to write a book featuring growth mindset after noticing my children, and students – and myself! – sometimes feeling defeated when trying to master a new skill. I think it can be natural to feel like this, especially when observing others who appear to master a skill more easily. I wanted to write a book that naturalised this experience – the mistakes and disappointments that come along the way when learning something new, as well as the joy that you can experience in mastering a skill.
What do you hope readers, especially children, will take away from the book?
I hope the book helps kids to understand that learning is a lifelong skill. It’s present in all the stages of life – from taking steps as a toddler to learning to write as a preschooler and learning to play an instrument as a primary schooler. But, the process of learning isn’t always easy. It’s the picking ourselves up, dusting ourselves off and trying again that is key.
I also wanted to showcase that learning isn’t just about school and sports and languages, it’s also about mastering life skills, like how to say sorry, dealing with loss and learning to stand up for yourself. These are all skills that we can learn over time.
Finally, I hope it helps kids understand that all people are learners – adults too!
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A beautifully illustrated story about learning and making mistakes -- If we don't get things right away, we'll try again another day.
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