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.

11. Dave the Potter

I found this book after beginning an illustrator study on the incredibly talented Bryan Collier (I will be reviewing a few more of his books later on in the blog). It was written by Laban Carrick Hill in 2010 and won the Caldecott Honor Award and the Coretta Scott King award. 

The book tells the story of a slave who lived in South Carolina and was trained in the art of pottery making. He was skilled and educated (against the law, he was taught to read and write), which led him to inscribe poetry into each of his creations.


While the text is largely a sequence of Dave's pottery making process, it is full of beautiful imagery and language. Hill stresses the action in his words (mixing, throwing, kicking, pinching, squeezing, etc), connecting us to the character and his creations. The simple lines remind the reader of Dave's poems...short, but full of power and meaning. The verse is almost rhythmic. It was Hill's figurative language that pulled me in the most.

"With a flat wooden paddle

large enough to row 

across the Atlantic,

Dave mixed clay with water..."

"Like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat,

Dave's hands, buried

in the mounded mud

pulled out the shape of a jar."

Collier's illustrations are a complement to Hill's words. They use a mixture of watercolor and collage. The palette of earthtone colors emphasizes Dave's connection to the land and clay. Collier positions Dave in powerful images-- the strength of his hands, the determination in his face, the pride in his eyes. Collier also takes us around his workshop, detailing the materials he used and the step-by-step process he took to make the pottery. He keeps the story moving along with a variety of full page spreads (that slightly cross the gutter and end in a jagged outline). In addition, there is a fold-out page in the middle of the book that includes 4 gorgeous panels of Dave working the clay. Collier captures the light and shadows of Dave in his workshop and makes the texture so realistic that we feel like we could reach out and mold the clay as well. Collier also has unique borders on each page that look like he ripped a strip of paper containing the words and laid it over the landscape of the pictures. It is an intimate, realistic glimpse into the life of a talented man who maintained hope and beauty in the midst of oppression.


The end of the book reminds us that this incredible story is actually an informational text about a real man-- it includes a photograph of his pottery, some biographical information, a few of his poems, and a bibliography of where to find more information about Dave. In the classroom, you could use the book in a study of important African American figures, slavery and resistance to oppression, art, etc. It teaches the values of perseverance and dignity in the face of injustice. The book rarely dwells on the fact that he was a slave, though, because he was much more than that...in fact the title reminds he was an artist, then a poet, and lastly a slave. After reading the book, children will probably become fascinated by the idea of pottery-making-- a great jumping off point for an art activity. Finally, this book would be great for studying imagery and figurative language.