OOPS! WHAT NOW?

Everybody has an Oops.

Nobody in these books gets it right the first time — and that’s the point.

Picture books about little disasters and what to try next. Ages 4–7.

Cover of OOPS! WHAT NOW? — I LOST! showing the five friends around a board game.

“Oops. What now?” is a question, not a lesson. The child is the one deciding.

Meet the crew

Five friends, five ways of being. Nobody is the smart one, and nobody gets fixed — each one’s best quality is also the thing that lands them in an Oops.

Ripple, a brown otter in an orange-and-white striped tee.

RIPPLE

The one who is already doing it

Fig, a round capybara in a dusty-blue-and-cream striped tee.

FIG

Giant feelings, giant heart

Slate, a small grey-green creature with round glasses and a rust bow tie.

SLATE

The planner

Nook, a fennec fox with tall cream-lined ears, a cream tunic and a sage scarf.

NOOK

The one who notices first

Slurp, a small round grey-blue creature wearing a bottle cap as a hat.

SLURP

On every page. Never explained.

Can you find Slurp?

Slurp is hiding in every single picture in every book — every story page, the title page, even the pages for grown-ups. Slurp steals things. Slurp never explains why. Slurp is a little harder to find on every page than the one before.

A tap-to-find Slurp hunt and a printable checklist are on the way. Sign up below and I’ll send them when they land.

The books

One book, one situation — the one your child actually yelled this week. Same five friends every time, a different one leading.

Book One

I LOST!

Fig melts down when the game doesn’t go Fig’s way.
42 pages · 8.5″ square · ages 4–7

Free coloring page →

Book Two

NOBODY INVITED ME!

Nook is left out.

Book Three

I CAN’T DO IT!

Quitting the moment it gets hard.

Book Four

BUT I WASN’T FINISHED!

Ripple talks over everyone.

Book Five

THAT WASN’T THE PLAN!

Slate when the plan changes.

Book Six

I DIDN’T MEAN TO!

Broke it, hurt someone, won’t repair it.

Downloads

Free coloring pages, one per book — the same activity page that’s printed inside. Print as many as you like, at home, in a classroom, or in a waiting room.

Preview of the I LOST! coloring page: four boxes showing Fig taking a deep breath, taking a minute, counting to 10 and squeezing his hands tight, plus an empty box to draw in.

Color the one that’s most like you

Four things Fig tries when losing gets too big — take a deep breath, take a minute, count to 10, squeeze your hands tight — and an empty box for the child to draw their way. None of the four is marked correct, which is the point of the whole series.

US Letter · PDF · prints in black and white. Slurp is on it too.

  • Book OneI LOST!

    Download coloring page
  • Book TwoNOBODY INVITED ME!

    Coming with the book
  • Book ThreeI CAN’T DO IT!

    Coming with the book
  • Book FourBUT I WASN’T FINISHED!

    Coming with the book
  • Book FiveTHAT WASN’T THE PLAN!

    Coming with the book
  • Book SixI DIDN’T MEAN TO!

    Coming with the book

For grown-ups

Every book carries a companion guide for the adult reading it — parents at home, teachers in a classroom, counsellors in an office. It is not a lecture and it is not homework. It explains what the story is quietly doing, and gives you the seven small moves the book itself demonstrates.

  • CONNECT
  • NOTICE
  • ASK
  • TRY
  • CHECK
  • PLAN B
  • REPAIR

The goal is not perfect behaviour, instant calm, or guessing the answer the grown-up wants. It is helping a child move from reacting toward noticing, choosing, trying and repairing — with you alongside, and gradually with less of you.

Free printables — the seven-step card for the fridge, a classroom read-aloud guide, and the Slurp Hunt checklist — are being prepared. The coloring page is ready now. The guide’s research sources are cited in the back of every book.

Be first to know

New books, free printables, and the Slurp hunt. No more than a handful of emails a year.