It’s September 15-ish, give or take 2 days, a perfect time to celebrate creativity and International Dot Day! And how better to celebrate than by featuring the original story and another one by their original creator.
The Dot
Author & Illustrator: Peter H. Reynolds
Publisher/Date: Candlewick Press/2003
Ages: 4-8
Themes: creativity, art, self-confidence
Short Synopsis (from Goodreads):
With a simple, witty story and free-spirited illustrations, Peter H. Reynolds entices even the stubbornly uncreative among us to make a mark — and follow where it takes us.
Her teacher smiled. “Just make a mark and see where it takes you.”
Art class is over, but Vashti is sitting glued to her chair in front of a blank piece of paper. The words of her teacher are a gentle invitation to express herself. But Vashti can’t draw – she’s no artist. To prove her point, Vashti jabs at a blank sheet of paper to make an unremarkable and angry mark. “There!” she says.
That one little dot marks the beginning of Vashti’s journey of surprise and self-discovery. That special moment is the core of Peter H. Reynolds’s delicate fable about the creative spirit in all of us.
Read a review at Life Lessons for Little Ones.
Happy Dreamer
Author & Illustrator: Peter H. Reynolds
Publisher/Date: Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc./2017
Ages: 4-8
Themes: day dreams, creativity, self-expression
Short Synopsis (from Goodreads):
A celebration of the colorful spectrum of what it means to dream and the many ways to find happy!
While the world tells us to sit still, to follow the rules, and to color inside the lines, Happy Dreamer celebrates all those moments in between when the mind and spirit soar and we are free to become our own true dreamer maximus!
Read a review at Children’s Books Heal.
I paired these books because both celebrate creativity and the joy that arises when you make your mark on the world.
Looking for similar reads?
Visit Peter H. Reynolds’ website to discover more of his inspiring books. See also my post for Dot Day last September, when I paired The Dot with one of my favorite books about the power of creativity, When I Coloured in the World.
And my dot, you ask? I call it dawn at sea, as I dream of a healthy world filled with love and peace.
Wander, Ponder, Write 