by Terry Shay
One great source of creative inspiration throughout the year is the Celebridots website. The Celebridot gallery was inspired when Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech sent me a dot on International Dot Day in 2011. Seeing the dot that one of my favorite authors created made me think that dots from other famous people could be inspirational for kids and the Celebridot site was born.
What happened next has been a constant source of inspiration for me and kids around the world. What started as a fun connection between books, kids and dots has grown into a gallery of the most diverse dots. Not only is there beautiful art that comes from a more traditional viewpoint, created by professional artists, but there is also an amazing collection of other media and styles represented.
Here are some examples of non-traditional approaches to dot making:
Sewing from author Heidi Stemple
Clay from clay illustrator Susan Eaddy
Blue hair dye from author Ame Dyckman
Raspberry juice from author Bethanie Marguia
Pancake from author Josh Funk
Photography from Commander Chris Hadfield from the International Space Station
Painting on a highway marker from Pixar Art Director, Tia Kratter
Cut paper from author/illustrator Nancy Elizabeth Wallace
Computer code from author and National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Gene Luen Yang
And the famous Peepy from author Lisa YeeCheck out the entire collection at www.celebridots.com!
Brave Teacher Shows Creativity
Teachers, this message is for you. If you want to have creative students, you need to model bravery for them by showing your own creativity. I love this message from Mary Alice Ramsey, Media Coordinator in Holly Springs, NC from the Dot Day post on her blog, Learning to Flex:
I had a shift in myself. Me – ‘the one who “can’t draw.” The one whose art doesn’t look like anything that it should look like, is now drawing. Taking a risk. As kindergarten friends are calling out names of animals that could be pets, I sketch them. And then, this happened:
S1: That doesn’t look like a horse.
S2: It’s her art. It looks like a horse to me. It’s just fine.
S2 gets up and comes to hug me, to reassure me that my art matters.
And yes, my heart grew 2 sizes in that moment. And I will draw again.
Blogs About Books
Last month I shared some people to follow; this month I’d like to share four blogs that will have you thinking differently about books and give you some new books to read.
Design of the Picture Book by Carter Higgins
Childrens Books Heal by Patricia Tilton
The Little Crooked Cottage by bloggers Anika Denise, Kara LaReau, and Jamie Michalak
Librarians Quest by Margie Myers-Culver
Brilliant Illustrations
Clowey, one of the members of my morning book club featured last month, has been checking out the illustrations in books and would like to share some of her favorites:
Books mentioned:
The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield
The Night Gardener by the Fan Brothers
Shy by Deborah Freedman
Swan: The Life and Dance of Anna Pavlova by Laurel Snyder and illustrated by Julie Morstad
Star Bright by Alison McGhee and illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
The Clever Stick by John Lechner
Morning Book Club Recommendations
Books mentioned:
A Friend for Mole by Nancy Armo
The Bear Who Wasn’t There by LeUyen Pham
Hannah and Sugar by Kate Berube
Penguin Problems by Jory John and Lane Smith
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