17. ish

Here is a preview, a la Weston Woods.

Ramon loves to draw-- anything, anytime, anywhere. Unfortunately, one day his big brother makes fun of his drawing, causing Ramon to crumple up all of his future efforts. He is unaware, though, that as he is discounting his drawings, his sister is secretly picking them up and treasuring them in her room. She declares his style 'ish' art (i.e. tree-ish, vase-ish, house-ish) and reminds him that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. (Heck, most modern art is even less 'ish' than 'ish' and it is still considered fine art!) Ramon is reinspired and begins to take pride in his drawings again.

A sequel to Peter H. Reynolds' The Dot, ish (2004) is a great book for anyone who has ever felt like their art wasn't good enough. If you do any research on Reynolds, you will find that he is inspired by children as well as motivated to inspire them. He travels to different schools, encouraging young artists and reminding them to not lose their creative side, relaxing about feeling the need to be perfect. This book sends that message across in a simple, poignant manner.


Reynolds' wraparound cover shows us a boy who is free with his art and feels confident in his abilities, his brush carrying the picture from the back cover to the front. The endpages and title page ironically have more bold color in them than the rest of the book, perhaps illustrating the growth of this young artist's confidence. The final publishing page includes a dedication to Reynolds' art teacher who 'dared me to draw for myself and find my voice'. Reynolds pays it forward with this book, encouraging his readers to find their voices.

When I flipped through the pages of the book at first, Reynolds' style looked familiar to me. Upon further investigation, I found out that his art is all over my classroom and I never knew it! He has illustrated all of the Judy Moody collection, as well as the most recent versions of Judy Blume's Fudge books. Reynolds used watercolor, ink, and tea to create this book, with dark outlines surrounding each figure which is then shaded in with a pale, limited range of colors (mostly yellows, oranges, greens, and blues). There is a lot of white space bordering the cartoon-style (almost naive) vignettes and color does not dominate any page. It is mostly his unconventional lines that stand out, outlining the characters and objects in unique ways. The fact that they are squiggly and imperfect exemplify Reynolds' message that art does not have to be flawless-- its quirks give it character. The emotion and warmth come through even with the simplest of illustrations. Even Reynolds' text is hand-lettered, adding to the simplicity of the book. It's small size makes it feel like it is meant to be shared in an intimate way, telling that little person 'Come sit right here next to me and I'll tell you a story.' Good things come in small packages.


I tend to discount my artistic abilities in front of my students, which I now realize might plant a seed of doubt in them, causing them to question their art. I don't want to do that anymore and will make an effort to be brave in sharing my work (and showing pride in it, too). I want to share this sweet, simple, yet powerful book with my students to remind them that there is no 'right' or 'perfect' in art...it's more important that it means something to you (even 'ish' is great!). It will inspire all who read it to look at the world in a new way.