The Dot (Creatrilogy)

Product Information

A little boy gazes up at Vashti. He wishes he could draw and be a fantastic artist like her but he can’t even draw a straight line with a ruler. Vashti gives the boy some paper and a pencil and asks the boy to show her one of his lines. She looks carefully at his work and then says… Use the paintbrush tool in painting software to create a ‘dotty’ picture. Look at examples of pointillism for inspiration.

Dot book - Wikipedia Dot book - Wikipedia

I'm sure we all know someone (or we are someone) who says they can't draw. In this story, Vashti is one of those people. She thinks she can't draw, so she doesn't even try... until her teacher gets her to start with a dot. Just a dot. Vashti’s teacher sparked her confidence and imagination allowing her to begin her creative journey. In turn, Vashti then becomes an inspiration to the little boy. Find out how people have created art throughout history. What were the first types of art? What materials were used? How has art changed through the years? International Dot Day is celebrated by both adults and children all around the world as a way of boosting confidence and encouraging creativity, through observing this holiday, people can learn the power of creativity and how just one small dot can make a huge impact on the world around them.

September 15, 2023

Randi has appeared on CNN, Good Morning America, the Today show, Bloomberg News, and ABC’s World News. She was also a correspondent for the 2011 Golden Globe Awards and the World Economic Forum in Davos. Randi was recently appointed to the United Nations Global Entrepreneurs Council and the World Economic Forum’s Global Council on Social Media. REVIEW: I like to see a smart girl that is very smart. And this title is very timely as I see more and more children younger and younger interacting more and more with technology and less with each other. So Dot's whole day is surrounded by computers, and smart phones with tweeting and sharing until her mother sends her outside to Reboot! Recharge! and Restart! (all techie words). And then Dot remembers that she used to like the outdoors and she finds ways to use her techie skills to play in the real world with her friends. Do you really think you can’t do it, or is it just that it is difficult and needs practise to become better?

Dot To Dot Book For Kids Ages 8-12: Challenging and Fun Dot Dot To Dot Book For Kids Ages 8-12: Challenging and Fun Dot

Are you looking for ways to spark your students’ creativity? Take a look at some of our favourite artistic resources: Seeing her artwork displayed so beautifully inspires Vashti to do better. She gets to work and starts painting a red dot, purple dot, yellow dot. Then she starts experimenting with colour mixing, always painting dots.

Talk about

Most children struggle at some point and feel like they just can’t do something. The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds is a wonderful story that helps to show that with a little perseverance and a change of perspective, amazing things are possible. This book is dedicated to the author’s teacher who dared him to make his mark. How could you ‘make your mark’? The creativity in each of us needs encouraging. I truly know that. From just a word, a push, a smile, blossoms can bloom. It is not just about drawing or painting either. Writing, sculpting, playing a musical instrument, weaving, any form of art can show up with just that nudge.

The Dot - Teaching Ideas

Terry Shay, a teacher in Iowa, USA, was so inspired by the story of Vashti in Peter H. Reynolds’ book that he started International Dot Day. Now, every year on the 15th of September, creativity is encouraged and practised in classrooms around the world.

I wasn't sure I liked this story as I read it with my nephew. He'd read it before in school and was excited to read it again. We did the audio narration that was part of the ebook and as I listened I found myself quite captured. My nephew chose Vashti's art show as his drawing and it was also my favorite spread of the book. It quite captures the message of the story too... However, if Dot inspires one parent to turn away from their screen and play with their child (and I hope it does for hundreds of people) then it is worth it's weight in gold and jewels. As an early marketing executive at Facebook, Randi created and ran the social media pioneer’s marketing programs. She led the company’s U.S. election and international politics strategy and created Facebook’s live streaming initiatives during the 2008 Presidential Inauguration. Randi was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2011 for her innovative coverage of the 2010 mid-term elections that integrated online and TV coverage in unique formats. This is an attractive book. The author hand lettered the text and illustrated the book with watercolor, ink, and tea. Yes, tea! Painting with tea is so clever! I like modern art and I enjoyed the illustrations.