Yes, this is a dread Lesson Learned book. But it’s told with humor and empathy, and has amiable and lively illustrations by the cartoonist Mark Pett. The result is a book many of today’s ultracompetitive mini-superhumans could use. True, the ending ties matters up a bit too neatly, perfectly even, but children in Beatrice will recognize common and imperfect emotions: embarrassment, earnestness, fear of rejection and the relief messiness brings.