
Member Reviews

Great audio and a meaningful message for children -- no one is perfect and everyone makes mistakes. Beyond the title, this isn't especially heavy handed in its messaging and a great reminder to keep going. Lovely underwater sound effects and engaging narration.

The Worry-Worry Whale Made 32 Mistakes
Deborah Diesen, Dan Hanna
This is a children’s book with a delightful message. No one is perfect and no matter how hard we try we will make mistakes. Many children feel anxiety when they make mistakes. The Worry-Worry Whale Made 32 Mistakes demonstrates that mistakes aren’t bad. Mistakes give us the opportunity to grow. We should see we all have imperfections, and we should embrace them.
This book is fun and educational. Young listeners will enjoy Willa Whale as she plays, splashes and swims in the sea. She and her friends are finding new things to try. New things often bring mistakes and errors; they learn that making mistakes is a great way to learn and to discover things. When we make mistakes, we should try again. The audio book of The Worry-Worry Whale Made 32 Mistakes is a great experience for young listeners. The underwater world comes to life with inspiring background music. Fred Berman is the narrator; his voice is pleasant and engaging; I was quickly captivated by the experience.
The Worry-Worry Whale Made 32 Mistakes is a nice, sweet story with an important message.
Thank you NetGalley. My reviews are my personal Opinion.

"The Worry-Worry Whale Made 32 Mistakes" is a delightful children's book that tackles the important theme of making mistakes and learning from them. The story encourages children to embrace their errors as opportunities for growth and learning. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

📚 ARC Review: The Worry-Worry Whale Made 32 Mistakes
✍️ Written by Deborah Diesen | Illustrated by Dan Hanna
🎧 Publisher: Macmillan Audio
📅 Publication Date: June 10, 2025
⏱️ Audio Length: 6 minutes, 17 seconds
📚 Genre: Children’s Fiction
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🌟 Review
The Worry-Worry Whale Made 32 Mistakes is a charming and emotionally intelligent story that encourages children to embrace their imperfections and view mistakes as opportunities to grow. Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio, I had the chance to listen to this delightful audiobook in advance—and it did not disappoint.
Author Deborah Diesen has masterfully created a narrative that’s both playful and purposeful. Young listeners follow Willa Whale and her sea-splashing friends as they try new things, fumble through errors, and discover the beauty in learning through missteps. The story celebrates resilience and curiosity in a way that feels encouraging and deeply relatable to young minds.
The audiobook format, produced by Macmillan Audio, truly brings Willa’s underwater world to life. With uplifting background music and a warm, engaging male narrator, the listening experience is immersive and emotionally resonant. My son was captivated from start to finish—and asked to listen to it again right away.
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💬 Final Thoughts
The Worry-Worry Whale Made 32 Mistakes is more than just a sweet story—it’s an empowering message wrapped sun-kissed skies. It’s the kind of book that belongs on every child’s shelf, and the kind of story that leaves a lasting ripple in a young reader’s heart.
🎧 A big thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the advance listening copy. It was a joy to experience this treasure early and to share it with my family.

This was a really nice story that shows that kids and adults will make mistakes before getting something right. The narration is well done and engaging.
Overall, I think it is am important subject to teach kids, you won't be able to do something right away, sometimes you need to make mistakes. Mistakes show that you are trying and growing. The better you want to be, the more mistakes you have to make on the way.
I highly recommend this audio book, I will likely buy a hard copy as well to go along with it.

My son absolutely adored this one! It was a very sweet story and he wanted to listen to it multiple times. We will definitely be purchasing this one!

The book was cute, but sounded AI generated. Kids will like the big numbers though. I only had the audiobook and I wish I could’ve seen the pictures with the story.

I absolutely loved the audiobook version of this sweet and meaningful story! The Worry-Worry Whale is such a relatable character for kids (and adults!) who tend to be hard on themselves. With gentle rhymes, charming repetition, and a heartwarming message about self-acceptance and learning from mistakes, this book offers a reassuring reminder that it’s okay not to be perfect. The narration brought the story to life beautifully—so soothing and engaging. A wonderful listen for families, especially for little worriers.

Willa the whale is discouraged because she cannot swim backwards and has made thirty two mistakes trying to do so. But as she swims towards home she passes several friends who are also making mistakes, some even more than she. As Willa swims along she realizes that mistakes are what learning how to do new things takes. And her new goal is to make more mistakes so that she can learn what works, and she realizes that eventually she will learn how to swim backwards. This is a cute little learning story that children will enjoy listening to. The narrator was perfect for this type of children's book. Recommended. 4 stars.

This book was just as cute as the rest of the books in the series. I liked that the author made a point to show that grownups make mistakes too, not just children. My kids (3 and 4) really liked hearing the big numbers for mistakes people were making. The narrator did a good job showing who was feeling happy and who was feeling more down. The kids keep asking to listen over and over. And have been working on their numbers counting mistakes...mostly mine.

The Worry-Worry Whale Made 32 Mistakes by Deborah Diesen Is a sweet and charming story that teaches kids that is ok to make mistakes. I listened to it with my 5-year-old, and he replayed it multiple times; even my 18-month-old was captivated and paying attention. The narration in the audiobook was phenomenal, a very good addition to the Pout Pout Fish collection.

This was cute and very in line with the pout pout books. My 5-year-old was so excited to listen to it. I as a parent really appreciated the message of mistakes are what help us learn. My 5-year-old is in the stage of when he messes up, he thinks the world is ending so this is a great way to tell him it isn't!

My daughter and I enjoyed listening to this book! We love the Pout Pout Fish books so the cover drew her in immediately. She found the story fun and commented on some of the things the fish were struggling with.
The only part that concerns me is the focus on numbers of mistakes. The overall message is great that you should just keep trying and trying again! But, I hope my daughter doesn't start counting her mistakes any time soon. That's just a part that might be good to have a conversation about after.

The cutest story that really shows it’s okay to make mistakes! My kids and I both enjoyed this one! It’s such a simple lesson but one that’s so important for kids. Done so well! The narrator did a great job too. We are Pout Pout Fish fans, but will absolutely be adding the Worry Worry Whale to our library! I can’t wait to see the illustrations in this one!
Thank you NetGalley, Deborah Diesen and Macmillan Audio for the chance to read this early!

A cute book about how you have to make mistakes in order to learn new things. I thought all the creatures sharing their number of mistakes was very cute.

The Worry-Worry Whale Made 32 Mistakes by Deborah Diesen is a charming story about Willa Whale learning to accept mistakes while trying something new. The playful rhymes made it fun to listen to on audio. The book helps children understand that making errors is a natural and valuable part of learning.

The Worry-Worry Whale Made 32 Mistakes (A Worry-Worry Whale Adventure)
by Deborah Diesen
Willa Whale learns that everyone makes mistakes. She finds out that mistakes are part of trying. That mistakes help us learn and grow. Its through the mistakes we can find out what can do.

The Worry-Worry Whale Made 32 Mistakes is such a cute book! I also enjoyed the Audiobook! I listened to it with My Son who is 7. He also enjoyed it.
Highly recommend this for any child!

The Worry-Worry Whale Made 32 Mistakes is a Pout-Pout Fish spin-off about Willa Whale. Willa hates making mistakes, but as she talks with others, she starts to realize that making mistakes is all a part of learning new things. Even grownups make mistakes! This would be a great story for early elementary students who are often worried about making mistakes. The story is written in rhyme and will hold the attention of little listeners. The audio production narration is very clear and can be sped up without losing that clarity.
Thanks to Macmillan Young Listeners and NetGalley for an ALC of this audiobook for an honest review.

**Review of *The Worry-Worry Whale Made 32 Mistakes* by Deborah Diesen (Narrated by Fred Berman)**
This delightful children's book tackles an important theme with warmth and charm. The story follows an anxious young whale who becomes upset after making 32 mistakes during his ocean adventures. Through his journey, he learns that everyone makes mistakes - from small seahorses to large octopuses - and that errors are simply part of life and learning.
Fred Berman's narration perfectly captures the whale's initial worry and eventual relief, with a light, cheerful tone that keeps the story uplifting. The production quality supports the narrative without distracting from its comforting message. At just the right length for young listeners, this audiobook manages to be both entertaining and meaningful.
I give it 5/5 stars for its gentle approach to childhood anxiety. It's an excellent resource for parents and teachers helping children ages 4-8 develop resilience and self-acceptance. The relatable protagonist and positive message make this a story children will want to hear repeatedly. Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC.