It Wasn't My Fault

Laugh-Along Lessons

by Helen Lester, Lynn Munsinger (Illustrator)

When accidents happen to Murdley Gurdson, they are usually his own fault, but when a bird lays an egg on Murdley's head one day, he tries hard to find someone else to blame.

Featuring bonus audio!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Humor, Animals, Fiction

32 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Helen Lester is the author of many children’s books. Her background with children includes being a mother of two and a former elementary school teacher of ten years. While at home with her children, Helen realized the importance of quality children’s literature. Helen started her writing career as a struggling author facing many rejections by publishing companies. Her first book was finally published in 1979. Helen Lester is a full-time writer who makes her home in New York.

Reviews

[Hany Adeeb · Rating 2 out of 5]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yy-i7...

قصة يتم سردها بالصوت من خلال يوتيوب

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

not my favorite of her books, but still cute. I did think the egg thing a little creepy when they go back and he eats it with the bird who laid it in the kitchen with him.

[Liz · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm confused about the size of these animals some seem way too big and some seem way too small????

[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Murdley Gurdson is a clumsy, absentminded boy whose frequent misfortunes are usually his own fault. One day he is walking along in one shoe (having lost the other) when a bird above him lays an egg which breaks on his head. He confronts the bird, who shifts responsibility for the accident to an aardvark, which had screamed, scaring her into laying the egg. The aardvark blames a pygmy hippo who stepped on his tail provoking the scream; and the hippo gives another reason which points to Murdley Gurdson's lost shoe as the ultimate culprit. In the end, Murdley tearfully acknowledges that the accident was his own fault, and his new friends go home with him to comfort him with a scrambled-egg meal.

The deliciousness of this story comes from its kid-level humor. The chain-reaction of blameshifting is hilarious in its absurdity, and the slapstick jokes will be savored. Murdley's unfortunate experiences invite small children (who know all about clumsiness, blameshifting, and unintended consequences) to identify with him, and his willingness to admit his own fault in the end demonstrates a likable sense of personal responsibility.

[Alice · Rating 3 out of 5]

We all make mistakes, but this is a silly (what I call a circle book...it ends where it started) So one thing lead to another thing and so on...and of course it all works out. What bothers me about this book is the bird lays an egg on his head...fine...but at the end then the bird scrambles the egg for the boy to eat make the boy happy (lemonade out of lemons)...so the bird is killing its baby, to scramble it up for the boy to make him happy?...Kids know aren't going to pick that up...I thought it was a little strange! :-D

[Hester Rathbone · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is fantastic. To start with, how could you not love a book about a character named Mudley Gurdson? But I love the idea of chain events and how one action can influence another. What I really love about this short little story is the way it can show children that while your actions have consequences, you don't need to feel that things are your "fault". That it's what you do as a result of those consequences and your attitude towards them that really counts.

[Martha Golea · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a disaster. “A lesson in taking responsibility”, but it doesn’t even tell you what the original problem is that sets off the chain reaction…and is the kid somehow responsible for the actions of every creature because he made the first mistake or is it saying everyone is responsible? And why do they all make a scrambled egg together, including the bird that laid the egg?

It felt like the author didn’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings so she made everyone forget it happened and act like they’re all happy even though they haven’t resolved anything. Just like an illustrated dysfunctional family.

[Divine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this is a cute storytime book. It's about a clumsy boy who always seem to have bad things happen because of him. This time when something bad happens, he goes all around asking whose fault it could be. It turns out it was his own fault again. I wouldn't recommend this book to actually help out with any problems because it doesn't seem to do that. However, this is a good read to have in the reading center for entertainment from time to time. The age group for this book would be ages 4-7. Parents can have this book as well as maybe a fun before bed story.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute

[Kristin · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't like that the little boy never really too responsibilities for his actions. Then of course, MY kid started running around screaming, "it wasn't my fault!" about everything. Not helpful!

[Healthy Dose of Self-Destruction · Rating 5 out of 5]

★★★★★★★★★✩
9/10 Extremamente bom

[Spencer Gold · Rating 4 out of 5]

It Wasn't MY Fault was a great story about a little boy who is very clumsy and lacks self-esteem. The book took me on a walk through one of his day and the little things that go wrong for him. They show his encounters with animals who come across as the only things he can talk to. This was a great story to read about what it is like for a boy who lacks that self-esteem and the sadness he endures.

The illustrations were went along with the text to show the characters true sadness. I was just looking at how well she drew his face and the structure in his eyes that portrayed the little boys frustration with life. I also liked how the illustrator included a lot of white pages with only the characters on the page. The characters were drawn very large in the pictures to get you focused on their emotions. I liked that she included some white backgrounds with the boy especially to show you how empty his life was.

[M.M. Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having young kids around, they always want to say that something is not their fault. The character Murdley is always having things happen to him that are usually his fault. One day when a large egg hits his head, he sets out to find out whose fault it is. Hilarity ensues and the characters involved are truly funny. This is an adorable little book.

Kids will relate to goofy things happening in the book and find them to be a laugh out loud adventure of discovery. I loved everything about this book including its cartoonish, over-the-top characters.
The read was easy for kids that are learning to read.

This is a 5 star-not-my-fault book for sure!

Disclosure: I purchased a copy of this book for my own collections. The views expressed here are 100% my own and may differ from yours. ~Naila Moon

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

We've read most of the books in the Tacky series by Helen Lester and Lynn M. Munsinger, so I was excited to see that they'd collaborated on another series. This book is part of the Laugh-Along Lessons books that help to teach children about ethical and moral themes.

I thought that this was an entertaining story about responsibility. The narrative is short and easy to read aloud and the illustrations are colorful and cartoonish.

[Jessica]

Everyone can remember a time where something pretty bad happened and they didn't want to be the one blamed. Well in It Wasn't My Fault, Helen Lester does just that. Murdley Gurdson is our main character in this book, he is our average guy who blames things on everyone no matter how small! However, one day it actually isn't Murdley's fault. While reading this fun book, you will never want to stop turning the pages. Following Gurdson on his journey to the truth is funny and the illustrations are wonderful. If you just can't help saying "it just wasn't my fault.", well then this is the perfect book for you.

[Kristi Maurer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book at the request of my seven-year-old daughter who loves this author’s “Tacky” books. Helen Lester’s books usually have very inviting covers. “It Wasn’t My Fault” is a book about taking responsibility. It begins with a boy who has many unfortunate things happen to him. When an egg drops on his head one day, he blames the bird. The bird, however, blames someone else, an aardvark. This goes on for a while until the boy has to face the fact that it was his fault he has egg in his hair. This book was average, in my opinion. It could be used to teach children the lesson of taking responsibility. It was just a little confusing to follow from beginning to end.

[Angela Hutchinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Murdley Gurdson is always having accidents that are not his fault. One day, he was out walking and lost his shoe. The next thing he knows is that there is an egg on his head and he is wondering whose fault it is. The bird tells him that it wasn’t his fault because an aardvark screamed and scared him. The aardvark screamed because the hippo stepped on his tall. The hippo stepped on his tail because a hopping shoe about ran him over. The hopping shoe turned out to be a rabbit in Murdely’s lost shoe. The chain reactions lead the resulting fault back on Murdely. This would be a good book to use for predicting what is going to happen next in the story.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

As Dex (5yo) is very fond of assigning blame on others for things lately, I thought this book my be a good story for him. It's about a little boy who ends up with an egg cracked on his head. The little boy declares that it wasn't his fault that happened and sets out to discover who, EXACTLY, is to blame for the mess. Along the way he finds out that maybe, in a round about way, HE is the one who caused the problem.

Fun illustrations.

[Siskiyou-Suzy · Rating 1 out of 5]

What is the moral?! I mean, these books are written to be moralistic, and yet the moral is not clear! At the beginning, he seems to think everything is his fault (and those things seem far more fault-driven...), and then at the end he says something isn't his fault. If the lesson is that he is always blameless, then that's an atrocious lesson as well. And when a moralistic tale is not clear whether it is promoting one of the other of opposite ideas . . . you've got a problem.

[Adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a sweet little story. I liked Murdley Gurdson's name, for starters--that's a fun one to read. I also liked how the author included some animals that aren't normally featured in picture books. And I liked how Murdley figures out the chain of events that led to him having an egg on his head--and how the animals helped cheer him up about it.

[Fjóla · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you liked this one you'll probably also like The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash.

[babyhippoface · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the way Helen Lester can approach behavior-related issues with just the right touch of humor and without being didactic. Read this one in your classroom when your kids refuse to take responsibility for their actions.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oliver at 2 years old LOVES this book. It's a hand me down and I can't believe how few people have read this. Oliver asks to read the 'aardvark book' all the time! It's cute and fun and a great introduction for toddlers on a sequence of events.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Things did not always go well for Murdley Gurdson." A fun book sequencing the cause and effect of events!

[Cws]

JE-Les

[Alana Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a silly story about a boy who always messes things up. This would be great to use in order to get students thinking about self-esteem.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a great ending to this story! I love how they all pulled together to make the kid feel better.