tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78207146303789276922024-02-11T15:43:42.922-08:00Peter H. Reynolds' Stellar CafeInsights gathered along the journey about creativity, art, teaching, learning, life. I'll share behind the scenes look at the creation of my books, films, projects. - Peter H. ReynoldsPeter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-43465655161957906972023-12-01T14:02:00.000-08:002023-12-02T12:52:32.883-08:00"You're weird." ""Thank you."<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8H5OdazT69oYgFwMhMGa-2go1dCoSnkbQ9UCZGj-Pms38BZ5FOkn2oyGXhb0VQAtpzU1-ZQzXJUhYf0Iq_RBsVcjdSRowgl6SZKvNMtVe3UhXKkdVy8DRZegHdJouDFJHqviAEYuZQTs/s2000/You%2527re-Weird.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1455" data-original-width="2000" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8H5OdazT69oYgFwMhMGa-2go1dCoSnkbQ9UCZGj-Pms38BZ5FOkn2oyGXhb0VQAtpzU1-ZQzXJUhYf0Iq_RBsVcjdSRowgl6SZKvNMtVe3UhXKkdVy8DRZegHdJouDFJHqviAEYuZQTs/w400-h291/You%2527re-Weird.png" width="400" /></a></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I remember telling a wild story to some kids in an art class I was teaching about 20 years ago. The details of the story have long since evaporated, but I DO remember what a girl about eight years old with a puzzled look on her face said to me in response to my whimsical rambling. </span><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">"You're weird," she said.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">I smiled.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">"Thank you!" popped out of my mouth, much to her surprise. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">She looked at me with her far-too-serious face and then a small smile emerged. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">It took a few moments, but my unexpected response had invited her to consider that the world can be seen in many ways. </span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Odd can be interesting. </span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Weird can be wonderful. </span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">Different is refreshing. </span></span></div><div><span><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;">An attempted disparaging comment can be be turned into a generous compliment. </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;">When I doing a presentation at schools, I have been known to drop my markers or the pad of paper tumbles off the easel. How strange that the automatic reaction of many kids is laughter. Finding humor is other people's distress makes me a bit sad about our species. The way I handle the dropped markers or pad of paper is to either say "I meant to do that" or to ignore it completely as though I had indeed been ready to let the art supplies tumble to the ground as I confidently proceeded. </span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>I made a nod to this way of thinking in my book, </span><a href="https://www.thedotcentral.com/peterhreynolds/be-you" target="_blank">BE YOU! </a><span>published by </span><a href="http://www.scholastic.com" target="_blank">Scholastic</a> - <span>my "handbook for amazing humans." </span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: medium;"><span>"Be silly. Be quirky. Be odd. Be unique. Be weird. Be colorful. Be okay being different. Be just the way you are."</span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>The illustration above was </i><span style="color: #800180; font-style: italic;">inspired</span><i> by this story, but I was not wearing a crown or a tutu - and I did not have a cat sitting on my head. I am actually known for balancing things on my head though - including full glasses of water. </i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Weird? Why, yes, and thank you. </i></span></span></div><div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><p></p></div>Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-15122823420449721852021-02-25T09:11:00.002-08:002021-02-25T09:11:30.896-08:00Protect Your Sparkle<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfglPe2JpqC7Ugm0V5tde9AixBvMcwiuQpNVJ6D3dnBlpDYqIk2hy_nC9d0J4FeSTe94UTlD6K1E-ul2iZZrtq2Vb2aLiNZTAh_Tcp8s1m6ctwHmB57KkE8WIvPOtxSkY5rD05e_9R8Q/s2000/protect-your-sparkle-peter-h-reynolds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKfglPe2JpqC7Ugm0V5tde9AixBvMcwiuQpNVJ6D3dnBlpDYqIk2hy_nC9d0J4FeSTe94UTlD6K1E-ul2iZZrtq2Vb2aLiNZTAh_Tcp8s1m6ctwHmB57KkE8WIvPOtxSkY5rD05e_9R8Q/w372-h372/protect-your-sparkle-peter-h-reynolds.jpg" width="372" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">This is an image from our book PLANT A KISS (published by Harper Collins) written by my sweet friend and collaborator, Amy Krouse Rosenthal. </span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">The whole book was an absolute joy to create, but <i>this</i> is one of my <i>favorite</i> pages in the book. </span></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(11, 83, 148); color: #0b5394;">It reminds me of Amy.</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(11, 83, 148); color: #0b5394;"> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(11, 83, 148); color: #0b5394;">She was famous for her yellow umbrella and her </span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(11, 83, 148); color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">magical way of motivating people to share their own magic. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"> Amy passed away from cancer in 2017. It was a sudden and tragic loss. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(11, 83, 148); color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"> O</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(11, 83, 148); color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">nly a few months before she left us, </span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">I was helping her plan a family </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(11, 83, 148); color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;">trip</span><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"> to Argentina (my father, Keith Hamilton Reynolds was born here and I have lots of family there). The world discovered how sick she was on March 3rd, 2017, when they read her moving words in The New York Times: </span><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/style/modern-love-you-may-want-to-marry-my-husband.html" style="font-family: georgia;" target="_blank">You May Want to Marry My Husband. </a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">I encourage you to visit the</span><span style="color: #0b5394;"> </span><a href="https://www.amykrouserosenthalfoundation.org" target="_blank">Amy K. Rosenthal Foundation</a><span style="color: #0b5394;"> site to learn more about who Amy was, and how her mission continues - and how you can get involved. Her husband and daughter are carrying the torch <span style="caret-color: rgb(11, 83, 148);">forward. </span></span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"> https://www.amykrouserosenthalfoundation.org</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">Note: My studio, <a href="http://www.fablevision.com" target="_blank">FableVision</a> is animating a version of the story for <a href="https://www.vooks.com" target="_blank">Vooks</a>. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: #0b5394;">I'll blog about that soon.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">For information about the book, please visit <a href="http://www.thedotcentral.com" target="_blank">www.thedotcentral.com</a> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: georgia;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(11, 83, 148);">When I sign PLANT A KISS books now, I add a little heart 💛 below Amy's name. I know she'd like that - knowing I can reflect some of her heavenly magic into a copy of our book. </span></span></p>Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-24706604768826025232021-02-24T05:47:00.004-08:002021-02-24T09:23:07.165-08:00Collaborating with Cat Stevens<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIrkduMFykFgapLKyBGEfWVv-JfLDuIauv7ElLw4FmgSRoyni5ZQPByxreOPmqls31sqsZ5cEMawHYO2L7S1n5icuIhRKA01AhNSitZFTqlmILshxOLfcaQ6pkvaZdbZNHKJxv4p5Iac/s1170/peace+train+cover+.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1090" data-original-width="1170" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTIrkduMFykFgapLKyBGEfWVv-JfLDuIauv7ElLw4FmgSRoyni5ZQPByxreOPmqls31sqsZ5cEMawHYO2L7S1n5icuIhRKA01AhNSitZFTqlmILshxOLfcaQ6pkvaZdbZNHKJxv4p5Iac/w330-h308/peace+train+cover+.jpg" width="330" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia; font-size: x-large;">Hopping on the Peace Train</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;">One of the first albums I ever bought was</span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Stevens">Cat Stevens</a>' </span><a href="https://catstevens.com/media/albums/teaser-and-the-firecat-1971/" style="font-family: georgia;" target="_blank">Teaser and the Firecat</a><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;">. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;">It was 1971. I remember placing it on the turntable and as the vinyl spun, my twin brother, Paul and I feasted on each song. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;">Fifty years later, Cat Stevens reached out to ask me to illustrate his song, </span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;">"</span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bx1xYUs9xqs" style="font-family: georgia;" target="_blank">Peace Train</a><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;">." </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;">Pinching myself, I realized this was not a dream, but it was a dreamy aligning of the stars. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;">Before even getting the contract to sign (from publisher, Harper Collins) I had already played the song dozens of times - sounding as fresh as ever, but with a new urgency. I kept listening, closing my eyes and watching the "movie" that began emerging in my mind. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;">I printed the <a href="https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/catstevens/peacetrain.html" target="_blank">lyrics</a> and began jotting the visual ideas down alongside the words. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; orphans: 2; text-align: left; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36);">This was all happening during the pandemic, so our collaboration was done through Zoom video chat and e-mail. Seeing Yusuf's face the first time was a wonderful experience. Warmth, wisdom, wit. He shared some very kind words about my work and I shared my own admiration for his work and my early connections to his music. Then we got rolling. The book flowed out. I conjured up my little musician, inspired by Yusuf as a boy, and of course, the Train - the other "main character."</span></span></span></p><p style="orphans: 2; text-align: left; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36);"> Making this book, I felt that I was on stage with Yusuf, harmonizing. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #351c75; font-family: georgia; orphans: 2; text-align: left; widows: 2;">In a few months we were done. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #351c75; font-family: georgia; orphans: 2; text-align: left; widows: 2;">I had the pleasure of also connecting with Yusuf's son, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKuaEMmGfR8" target="_blank">Yoriyos</a>, who is also a great musician and creative human. Getting to know him, the song, "Father and Son" came to mind and I smiled.</span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #351c75; font-family: georgia; orphans: 2; text-align: left; widows: 2;">I </span><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36);">mentioned to Yusuf that when I listen to his songs - I turn them to books in my head. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36);">"Well, I have quite a few songs, so you'll be busy." </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36);">Within a month, I had a contract for our next book, "<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEWOi6fY-iQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEWOi6fY-iQ" target="_blank">If You Want to Sing Out, Sing Out!</a>" </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75; font-family: georgia; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">Yusuf Islam, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75; font-family: georgia; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">born </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75; font-family: georgia; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">Steven Demetre Georgiou</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75; font-family: georgia; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">, is commonly known by his stage names Cat Stevens, </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75; font-family: georgia; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">Yusuf</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75; font-family: georgia; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">, and </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75; font-family: georgia; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">Yusuf</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #351c75; font-family: georgia; font-variant-ligatures: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-thickness: initial; widows: 2;">/Cat Stevens. </span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; orphans: 2; text-align: left; widows: 2;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;">I now get to call him my <i>friend</i> and <i>collaborator</i>. </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;">For more information about the picture book, Peace Train, or my other books, visit: <span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.thedotcentral.com/peterhreynolds" target="_blank">https://www.thedotcentral.com/peterhreynolds</a> and Yusuf/Cat Steven's work: <a href="http://www.catstevens.com" target="_blank">www.catstevens.com</a> </span></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREGFbsrNRb97c8f2utY8oHsicuWDu_Qh5Brv78UEO1wPnCQyhAm6P6-qgiw6V_Vm71XblvtQlzNMjPGsI7PEGgLxzKhv2yomhivEk8n8pRKxOIrOuiOhu3SNELQDup7z-f7rKdppabIk/s1020/Screen+Shot+2021-02-24+at+8.08.47+AM.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="528" data-original-width="1020" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjREGFbsrNRb97c8f2utY8oHsicuWDu_Qh5Brv78UEO1wPnCQyhAm6P6-qgiw6V_Vm71XblvtQlzNMjPGsI7PEGgLxzKhv2yomhivEk8n8pRKxOIrOuiOhu3SNELQDup7z-f7rKdppabIk/s320/Screen+Shot+2021-02-24+at+8.08.47+AM.png" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #351c75; font-family: georgia;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(53, 28, 117);">To see how you can support the <a href="http://www.peacetrain.org" target="_blank">Peacetrain Foundation</a> </span></span>https://catstevens.com/peacetrain/</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-45921833404735603662020-08-16T16:56:00.006-07:002020-08-16T16:59:03.551-07:00International Dot Day<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybe7nw6sPdhOf4RnUEXyvspGckvILM3tj-cpPYpkesCA-D7mTcrmHIGn52Wjus8OCj04v1HtTYjuoxHpuPTqVF7QggRGceIfAvwdrrQqRwTXY8S4-DC1SQ5O1FZjGhg_TXm5_laGEjiM/s1311/dot+central+dot+5.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1311" height="375" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybe7nw6sPdhOf4RnUEXyvspGckvILM3tj-cpPYpkesCA-D7mTcrmHIGn52Wjus8OCj04v1HtTYjuoxHpuPTqVF7QggRGceIfAvwdrrQqRwTXY8S4-DC1SQ5O1FZjGhg_TXm5_laGEjiM/w410-h375/dot+central+dot+5.jpg" width="410" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: xx-large;">International Dot Day</span></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">September 15-ish. International Dot Day. To learn more, visit </span><a href="www.thedotclub.org" style="font-family: georgia;" target="_blank">The Dot Club.</a><span style="font-family: georgia;"> A day to celebrate creativity - for all ages - in school - out fo school. It is a day t think about the words: </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">Making my mark.</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> What does that mean? How will you use your creativity, time and resources to make the world a better place? Millions have joined us for over a decade to celebrate - hope you will too! </span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">By the way, this dot was one of many I painted - about the size of a half dollar (American). I love scanning small paintings and enlarging. As they enlarge - they reveal details that were once hidden. Imagine this little dot on the side of a building? Maybe I'll try that with a bit fo Photoshop magic. : )</span></p><p><span style="font-family: georgia;">It has been awhile since my last blog post. I think social media took me away from it, but I'm glad all my old posts are still here. My blog serves a different purpose. It is a more reflective space. Feels a bit more like a journal. I hope you enjoy - and I hope I get back into my blog groove. : ) </span></p>Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-14360399190733501022017-10-06T13:45:00.000-07:002017-10-07T14:44:04.241-07:00I AM PEACE <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #134f5c; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I have teamed up once again with author Susan Verde, my collaborator on <a href="http://www.abramsbooks.com/product/museum_9781419705946/" target="_blank">THE MUSEUM</a>, <a href="http://www.abramsbooks.com/product/you-and-me_9781419711978/" target="_blank">YOU & ME</a> and <a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780399172588" target="_blank">THE WATER PRINCESS</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c;"> </span><a href="https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781419727016" style="color: #134f5c;" target="_blank">"I AM PEACE: A BOOK OF MINDFULNESS"</a><span style="color: #134f5c;"> (Abrams Books for Young Readers), is a sequel to the book "</span><a href="http://www.abramsbooks.com/product/i-am-yoga_9781419716645/" style="color: #134f5c;" target="_blank">I AM YOGA</a><span style="color: #134f5c;">." It celebrates the power of connecting to our inner peace and sharing that positive energy with others to inspire </span><i><span style="color: #3d85c6;">world</span></i><span style="color: #134f5c;"> peace. It was a joy to splash my watercolor brush with vivid, warm, encouraging colors to help honor and promote this beautiful mission.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">The world is in a challenging place, more so in recent years and months. As children try to piece their world together, making sense of it from the information around them, they often must deal with a barrage of traumatic news from the media. The deluge of negative news can be distorted in a child's emerging world view. I am reminded of how, during the 9-11 events, young children were terrified as they watched on television thousands of planes slamming into buildings--not realizing that they were watching the <i>same</i> clip being replayed over and over again. We clumsy adults have to be more careful and also more proactive in helping equip children with the tools to cope in a very challenging world. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">I encourage parents and teachers to dedicate time to helping kids develop ways to keep it all in perspective. I created a <a href="http://www.bluebunnybooks.com/shop/you-can-make-more-light" target="_blank">poster</a> after the Boston Marathon tragedy to remind all of us: </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">"There is more good than bad in this world, more light than darkness, and you can be that light." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">This book, </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #134f5c; font-size: medium;">"I AM PEACE," like most of my work, is meant for all ages. As children try to piece together their world, we too are doing the same.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;"> The big challenge is for all of us to "peace it together." : )</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><span style="background-color: white;">☮️ ☮️ ☮️ ☮️ ☮️ ☮️ </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">☮️ ☮️ ☮️ ☮️ ☮️ ☮️ </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">☮️ ☮️ ☮️ </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #134f5c; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;">For </span><a href="https://www.fablevisionlearning.com/blog/2017/10/uo5oke9f2126ncxapney6w7tqcr51p" style="font-family: georgia, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;" target="_blank">downloadable posters </a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: small;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; text-align: center;"><span style="color: #333333;">to print out and share you can visit <a href="http://to print out and share. Take a selfie or a group shot holding this signs--or the WE ARE PEACE sign. BE sure to use #IAmPeace #WeArePeace when shared with the world." target="_blank">FableVision Learning site</a>. Take a selfie or a group shot holding the signs. </span></span></span></span><br />
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Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-7327190593725009482017-06-21T18:00:00.000-07:002017-06-21T18:00:13.477-07:00Thank You for Saving My Life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGouJLuRl1TMjJdqLgcmqIo86lLBM2-onPDtP0EYnVl5N5nN7FW02BGpk0vO6nsa-ZES55alnk2Tf7AZt6wZN8Fkz2ijKYIJAB_xjWsdKaOlHITFuAtj6s847EE2okAmZPf_AK6sJbN8/s1600/943431_orig.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1024" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOGouJLuRl1TMjJdqLgcmqIo86lLBM2-onPDtP0EYnVl5N5nN7FW02BGpk0vO6nsa-ZES55alnk2Tf7AZt6wZN8Fkz2ijKYIJAB_xjWsdKaOlHITFuAtj6s847EE2okAmZPf_AK6sJbN8/s320/943431_orig.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I saw this photo and it reminded me of a dramatic moment in my life. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is what I saw as a child (I am guessing I was about five or six). I had wandered away from the shore of the lake where my family was camping. I had suddenly found myself unable to touch the bottom of the lake. I remember looking up--as I slipped deeper. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Unable to figure out how to make myself rise back to the top. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">And then...</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">a hand appeared.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"> I remember seeing it come toward me--then grab hold of me. The hand belonged to a woman I did not know. She pulled me up and to the surface. She said a few words as she brought me toward the shallower area near shore. I forget now, what she said, but I do remember a smile. After she knew I was okay, she waded away. Life went on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Thank you, to that stranger--that angel perhaps--who was thankfully there for me. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I wonder sometimes how that moment </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">could have turned out quite differently.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I have also thought of how teachers </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and caregivers can change lives like this. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Being there for a child. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Having that rescue-radar on and ready </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">to reach out and lend a hand. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">To be an ear. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A shoulder to lean on. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">One conversation, even a nod, a kind word, </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">can change a life profoundly. </span></div>
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Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-1807857429091344682017-06-18T11:19:00.000-07:002017-06-18T11:19:31.535-07:00Inside the Mind of a Dreamer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I wrote and illustrated my book, The Dot back in 2002 and it still keeps rolling along with wonderful initiatives like <a href="http://www.thedotclub.org/" target="_blank">International Dot Day</a> and <a href="http://www.celebridots.com/" target="_blank">Celebridots</a>. The book celebrates the power of great teaching. Vashti's teacher notices her student's frustration, but also her determination. She creatively inspires Vashti to bravely make her mark. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I wanted to remind us that many, many students need more understanding as they struggle to adapt to the rigor and structure of school--especially public schools in the USA. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I know how tough it can be. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I was one of those kids. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">That is why I wrote <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780545865012" target="_blank">Happy Dreamer</a> (published by Orchard Books an imprint of Scholastic). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">This book is autobiographical-ish. The boy in the book is me-ish. I didn't name him Peter because I wanted the reader to perhaps feel as though I was describing them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I know what it is like be a free spirit and put in a box. I wanted out. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> It was was a challenge for me to sit still. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">If my body couldn't wander, then my mind <i>would</i>. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Paper, as it turned out, was my window to more interesting worlds. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I stared out of it and daydreamed--in ink and pencil. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">However, not all teachers appreciated my doodling. I was asked to stop many times. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Eyes up front."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"Do that on your own time, Mr. Reynolds."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"This isn't art class."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I wish I could go back in time and tell them that I was actually in training for my future career as an artist, writer, and filmmaker. I would also show them my studio, <a href="http://www.fablevision.com/" target="_blank">FableVision</a> where we make drawings come to life through animation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">And I would read aloud my book </span></div>
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Happy Dreamer. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My hope is that Happy Dreamer will give educators a new perspective on dealing with creative kids, kids with wandering minds, and kids who have that extra power-pack of energy. The quirky ones. The ones who, as the famous Apple campaign said, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFEarBzelBs" target="_blank">think different</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I also wrote this book for all the parents out there who worry about their kids coping in school and the world. They lose sleep worrying how the world will understand and appreciate the amazing spirit and mind of a child that they know better than anyone else. Happy Dreamer is there to reassure them that their children will be fine--especially if they are loved and their unique brains are appreciated. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I wrote it too for the kids who are labeled early, often diagnosed with ADHD. I wanted them to smile as they hear the initials and say to themselves, "Amazing, Delightful, Happy Dreamer." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">For a great perspective on ADHD, check out the great work by </span><a href="http://www.drhallowell.com/" style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif;" target="_blank">Dr. Ned Hallowell. </a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As he shares on his site,</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #741b47;"> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">"</span></span><span style="background-color: white; text-align: left;"><span style="color: #741b47; font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">As I see it, ADHD is neither a disorder, nor is there a deficit of attention. I see ADHD as a trait, not a disability. When it is managed properly, it can become a huge asset in one’s life."</span></span></div>
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Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-83800218070480326372016-10-14T13:57:00.001-07:002016-10-15T15:26:06.049-07:00Omran... #ThisIsStillAleppo <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5Gcx7cQ1jDb_-o6-H3kjaBWBA3ijRdJ5m7Ro5w-h1t6I4nF-8eCp9dufAt987OOinWJ2lzfQ7DO6EfNUdOumuV_vfPWduL2VS-xtU6SLDm6cpVdBnkxuCH8xR55HCZ4-Yh3hTvJleik/s1600/Omran+Daqneesh+of+Aleppo+by+Peter+H+Reynolds+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="382" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA5Gcx7cQ1jDb_-o6-H3kjaBWBA3ijRdJ5m7Ro5w-h1t6I4nF-8eCp9dufAt987OOinWJ2lzfQ7DO6EfNUdOumuV_vfPWduL2VS-xtU6SLDm6cpVdBnkxuCH8xR55HCZ4-Yh3hTvJleik/s400/Omran+Daqneesh+of+Aleppo+by+Peter+H+Reynolds+.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="background-color: white; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Omran Daqneesh</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">It has been weeks since I drew<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> this imag<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e</span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> after seeing the<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">heart-wrenching </span></span>news footage. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I saw <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">this</span></span> little <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">boy<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, covered in <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">dust, dazed and confused, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">rubbed his head as blood flowed from a wound. He looked at <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">his hand <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">and then rubbed the blood onto the orange seat of the ambul<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">a</span>nce. </span></span></span></span></span></span>Perhaps it resonated more deeply because I have a son <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">about the same age and I couldn't imagine him having to go through the same <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">xperi<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ence. </span></span></span>I was so grateful to the first responders<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, <a href="https://www.whitehelmets.org/">Th</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.whitehelmets.org/">e W</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://www.whitehelmets.org/">hite Helmets</a> </span></span></span>who ris<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ked their own lives to <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-37171385">rescue this boy</a><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. </span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Tragicall<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">y</span></span>, <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the bombing conti<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">nues as of tod<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">ay<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">. </span></span></span></span></span></span>I have been devastated by the continual news reports coming from Syria<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, but also inspired by </span> </span><a href="http://time.com/4457335/syrian-ambulance-boy-omran-daqneesh-fine/">Omran Daqneesh</a>, the 5-year-old boy in Aleppo, Syria <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">remains </span>a symbol for all those in need--especially those who do not have a voice. A good overview of ways we can help<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">... </span><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.cfr.org/.../humanitarian-relief.../p9007" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;" target="_blank">http://www.cfr.org/.../<wbr></wbr>humanitarian-relief.../<wbr></wbr>p9007</a><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/childrenofaleppo" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> </span>#childrenofaleppo</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; display: inline; float: none; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/childrenofsyria" style="background-color: white; color: #365899; cursor: pointer; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 18px; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">#childrenofsyria </a></span><br />
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Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-72909518243385136092016-04-18T17:58:00.000-07:002016-04-18T17:58:07.931-07:00Rare Moments<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I painted this in Bologna, Italy. April 2016. I love my Bologna time... the <a href="http://www.bolognachildrensbookfair.com/">book fair </a>happens each spring.... the week gives me a chance to put the brakes on and spend a week quietly listening to myself think. </span></div>
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Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-86611135392745036912016-04-13T15:43:00.002-07:002016-04-13T20:14:54.820-07:00Going Home: Playing from the Heart <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's always a dreamy day when I finally hold the first copy of a book I've created. <a href="http://www.bluebunnybooks.com/shop/playing-from-the-heart-by-peter-h-reynolds" target="_blank">Playing from the Heart</a>, released this week on April 12th, is extra special to me. I'll share the behind the scenes details of how this book came to be later, but today I wanted to share a letter that illuminates the spirit of the book. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My friends, Ann Crewdson and </span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; display: inline; float: none; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">Linda Erst </span>visited me in Boston a few months ago. I happened to have an advanced copy of my new book, <a href="http://www.bluebunnybooks.com/shop/playing-from-the-heart-by-peter-h-reynolds" target="_blank">Playing from the Heart </a>which I read aloud to them. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Here is Ann's letter:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>Dear Peter,</i></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>Linda and I had the honor of hearing you read PLAYING FROM THE HEART out loud to us. Your character, Raj's story reminded me of my father-in-law who played the clarinet for years. He was a music major, but after serving in the military in WWII, he decided to be a dentist. </i></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">He had lost touch with music for decades until my daughter, Victoria picked up the violin as an instrument. He attended every single concert and I could swear he lived through her violin playing, vicariously. He attended almost every single one of her <a href="http://syso.org/" target="_blank">Seattle Youth Symphony</a> concerts until he couldn't do it anymore due to infirmary. </span></span></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Before he passed away, one of his last wishes was to have my daughter play <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iJFhTb1gi6Y" target="_blank">"<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Going <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Home</span></span></span>"</a> at his funeral with her violin. </span></span></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was in this moment that I connected your book with my memory. </span></span></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It brought me to tears.<br /><br />And that is what I meant when I said the book is about "<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">going</span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">h</span>ome"<br />to your talent and the persistence of the human spirit. </span></span></i></span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">My father-in-law lives on in my children.<br /><br />Kindest regards,<br />Ann</span></span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I asked Ann if I could share her connection to the story and she kindly allowed me to share it here. While my book is about music, about connecting deeply to the joy of expressing your spirit, it is also a book about what connects us all: love. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It is my hope that my book will inspire others to "<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">go</span> home" to the place where joy lives--to perhaps a time when it flowed <span style="font-size: small;">more</span> easily--and to "<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">go</span> home" and rediscover the "chords" that keep us connected. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Playing from the Heart is published by <a href="http://www.candlewick.com/cat.asp?browse=Title&mode=book&isbn=0763678929&pix=y" target="_blank">Candlewick Press</a> who also published The Dot, Ish, The North Star, So Few of Me, and Rose's Garden. </span></i></span></div>
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Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-11266471906555023482016-01-25T07:30:00.000-08:002016-01-25T07:30:08.464-08:00"Who are you?" The North Star Questions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I created this image in 1998--inspired by <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763636777" target="_blank">The North Star</a> book that I published the year before. Once I started thinking about the journey--it was hard to STOP thinking about it. </span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Where had I been? </span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"> Where was I now? </span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Where was I going? </span></span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Where was that I <i>wanted to be</i> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">going</span>? </span></span></h3>
<h3 class="post-title" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">That last question was THE big North Star question. Just making a few degrees change to the course can land you in a very different place eventually. <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ocean navigators</span> know this well. </span></span></h3>
<h3 class="post-title" style="font-weight: normal;">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Oddly, during my school journey, we rarely seemed have much time for "North Star" thinking. I <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">DO remember <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">being asked: </span></span>"What did you do on your summer vacation?" <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It was the</span> standard, back-to-school chestnut<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> which at least asked me to sha<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">re a bit about me beyond the classroom.</span></span> <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Ther<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e were, to be fair, a<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> number of</span> teachers along <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the way</span> who <i>did</i> care about m<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">e<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">, but <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">it was rare that <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">the curriculum supported them being able to get <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">me thi<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">nking and writing about who I was<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"> and what was going in inside my head. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></h3>
<h3 class="post-title">
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The North Star Interview </span></h3>
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I rounded up a few North Star questions for you. There are plenty more. You'll probably start thinking of them yourself once you get rolling. Your answers will help create a great snapshot of who you are--who you are becoming. <br /><br />1. What is something important to you?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />2. What special talent do you have?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />3. What place has special meaning to you?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />4. Who has helped you find your way?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />5. What do you hope to do someday?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />6. What do you need to be more happy?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />7. What is a big dream you have<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">--</span>if reality wasn't an obstacle?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />8. Who have you helped along the way?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />9. If you wrote a book about your life up until now what would the title be?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />10. If you wrote a book about your future what would <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">it be</span> title<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">d</span>?</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Your answers will lead to more reflection and perhaps writing, drawing,
painting, and singing. It <span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">might</span> help you choose the next book you read or
film to watch--<i>or film to make!</i> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It's totally up to you. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Your path. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Your
journey.</span></div>
Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-27732616041999082102016-01-19T07:30:00.000-08:002016-01-19T10:04:31.951-08:00Rescued Poem<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuxUnfmofbafVAlCB1UQGF7hATV65YTjOPR6f46JNDiMhyphenhyphen_FU4yZKwRzsB8uMA3wBsUxFO7kaKzb4mxspdU_HtMISXNcSSi5rF3SwPZvhMUB4WI11r1MW-nJvup8GATvxBHY8cSvJcJc/s1600/mg1Ztbgzp65utxafIhOzlSlCVmVThOz2sGaVqaLgwVU.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRuxUnfmofbafVAlCB1UQGF7hATV65YTjOPR6f46JNDiMhyphenhyphen_FU4yZKwRzsB8uMA3wBsUxFO7kaKzb4mxspdU_HtMISXNcSSi5rF3SwPZvhMUB4WI11r1MW-nJvup8GATvxBHY8cSvJcJc/s400/mg1Ztbgzp65utxafIhOzlSlCVmVThOz2sGaVqaLgwVU.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">I found this in my studio among my journals. A road-weary little journal. The cheapest kind you can buy in a drugstore. This page had obviously been almost washed away by rain. Or melting snowflakes--seeing that it was a Boston winter of 2003. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">It took some effort to decipher:</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>There will be</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>stretches of goodness,</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>like rivers of wheat fields,</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>and occasional</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>storms, sudden</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>and angry </i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: #3d85c6;"><i>demanding.</i></span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Words. A moment in time. </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Almost lost to rain or snow.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">The result looks</span></span> tears-ish. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span>
</div>
Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-71110904387609754112016-01-04T13:36:00.000-08:002016-01-04T13:40:28.783-08:00How to Recharge Your Spirit in One Easy Step<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrslqgG9pvl1XbtuOthB0amhlJ1eUfs5lPzWz1A5tMKN-c2F5NqhNuiWWFCmzuoYizgkcXXpBiCmnCeC-mTi8V2TYbxdmSVMETci_K5funvIjIHp-nktRC9kEflVHr-XNvEaPxi5cAo3k/s1600/peter+h+reynolds+nebraska+.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrslqgG9pvl1XbtuOthB0amhlJ1eUfs5lPzWz1A5tMKN-c2F5NqhNuiWWFCmzuoYizgkcXXpBiCmnCeC-mTi8V2TYbxdmSVMETci_K5funvIjIHp-nktRC9kEflVHr-XNvEaPxi5cAo3k/s400/peter+h+reynolds+nebraska+.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div>
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">How do you charge your creative "batteries"? </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well, for me there is one easy way: <i>connect with kids. </i> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">On most days, I am busy in my studio creating books and films--but when I am lucky enough to break free and venture into schools--I experience the joy of "connecting the dots" with my audience. (Well, half of them anyway, as I try to create my picture books for all ages.)</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Schools usually have me do several assemblies where I speak to a few hundred students at a time which I enjoy immensely, but it is after the "big show" is over when I get to connect with kids in an informal way. Some teachers let their kids linger a bit and they get a chance to connect. They bubble with enthusiasm, rattling off comments and asking questions. Timid kids get their chance to share with me. Their insights always delight and inspire me. It is amazing what they pick and what resonates with them. It is a reminder to me that kids are philosophers and deep thinkers. Some are comedians. They are creatives. Idea generators. Poets.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I was at St. Peter's School in Lincoln, Nebraska where the photo above was taken. I was swarmed with kids and tried to connect with each student the best I could. One student asked me:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"How old are you?" </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I paused trying to think of a clever answer.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A bright eyed lad named Nicholas jumped in to answer for me.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"You are as kind as when you were a child, as nice as you are now--and as wise as you will be in the future." </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Stunned--I just smiled--and said, "Yup--you guessed it." </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Batteries: recharged. </i></span> </span><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<br /></div>
Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-15829502220638841382015-05-18T21:37:00.000-07:002015-05-18T21:37:06.473-07:00Can We All Get Along?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00mX9DPF4l2A9bso6-KwYbGWtZ30R-y63vX6uWX4Me5FEOPRrw3ay1eFmYNqTlc1iLvsr2l6BoNuMVQ5hOzuLD0sDSTHXPPQHI8ko-Bw3weH9YXGzk__VrreAZIqxHyNmPW20qwWYT4Y/s1600/Screenshot+2015-02-02+11.49.55.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj00mX9DPF4l2A9bso6-KwYbGWtZ30R-y63vX6uWX4Me5FEOPRrw3ay1eFmYNqTlc1iLvsr2l6BoNuMVQ5hOzuLD0sDSTHXPPQHI8ko-Bw3weH9YXGzk__VrreAZIqxHyNmPW20qwWYT4Y/s320/Screenshot+2015-02-02+11.49.55.png" width="249" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It has been almost a quarter century since the Rodney King incident. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sONfxPCTU0" target="_blank">His words</a> after the ensuing riot: </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"People, I just want to say, can we all get along? Can we get along?"</span><br />
<br />
As poignant as ever.<br />
<br /></div>
Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-90326068784304454152015-05-08T14:53:00.002-07:002015-05-08T14:56:15.867-07:00Queen Mum<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In honor of Mother's Day this weekend...</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif; font-size: large;">I salute "Queen Mum." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">We are blessed to still have our mother with us--alive and well-- full of sparkle. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hazel Etheldreda Gasson Reynolds. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Born in London in 1925, Mum is celebrating her 90th year on the planet. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Hazel Gasson survived the bombing of London during World War II, went to work at Lloyd's bank of London where she met bank customer, Keith Hamilton Reynolds who had just finished his seven years of service in the Royal Air Force. Wedding bells. Andrew born. Jane born. The growing family moved to Canada. Peter and Paul born. Then on to America where she and Dad raised their five children--Irene rounding out the group. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I could--and should--write a book about Mum. I smile because if I did, Mum would want to rewrite the <i>whole</i> thing. She is famous for saying:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Now... what I would have said...." </span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"Now... what I would have done...."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My book, edited by Mum or not, would share how she made growing up an easy and joyful experience. Bumps and challenges along the way, of course, but she made the journey smoother with her love, her twinkly energy, her hard work, her staunch defense of anyone not supporting or understanding her kids. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Her smile, her care, her laugh. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Her creativity. By day, she was a book keeper for various companies. A manufacturer of reflective decals for locomotives, a lumber company, a cable TV company, and The <a href="http://www.aisne.org/" target="_blank">Association of Independent Schools of New England</a>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">She would get home in the afternoons, make a cup of tea, sit at the kitchen table with us and ask us to re-tell, in detail, the full episode of her favorite soap opera which she often missed due to work. Not your typical soap, but Dark Shadows--a show about a vampire. This was years before a VCR could tape the show- so she resorted to us "taping" it in our heads and sharing. (<a href="http://stellarcafe.blogspot.com/2012/05/our-mother-human-vcrs-dark-shadows.html" target="_blank">I wrote a blog about this.</a>) This was great fun for us, a unique bonding experience, but also some seriously good training for storytelling--paving the way for a future of storytelling and story sharing. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">With so much on her plate already, Mum still had time for service to her community. She was active for decades in the Scouting program in England, Canada and the USA. She taught religious education--doing so in wonderfully creative ways--using music an art to help kids connect with the messages. Again, Mum was an amazing role model for her children. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And she still is!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Mum lives on the Cape and is still going full steam ahead. The kettle is always ready for tea. The photo of Queen Elizabeth hangs on the wall, but our Queen Mum reigns royally in our lives. She has created an amazing kingdom. We are blessed to have her continue to guide us, inspire us. </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Happy Mother's Day, Queen Mum! </span><br />
<br />
<br />
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Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-6783475823101978502015-05-01T11:17:00.001-07:002015-05-01T17:08:18.548-07:00Dare to Innovate<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<br />
I am busy working on several new books, but I like taking a break now and again to either just sketch whatever comes to mind in my journal or to get my my mind noodling on a small project. This "breather time" helps me relax, get recharged, and feel that rush when you get something done. <br />
<br />
I was asked by <a href="http://pages/MassCUE/Conferences/2015_MassCUE_M_A_S_S__Technolo/2015_Mas%E2%80%A6" target="_blank">MassCue (Massachusetts Computer Using Educators)</a> to create a conference logo based on the theme, "Dare to Innovate." The theme is definitely my cup of tea. Rather than anything too futuristic, I wanted a whimsical image showing a group of kids collaborating--fusing interests and strengths. My twin brother, Paul and I explored this theme in our book, <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9781442466081" target="_blank">Going Places</a>. We are big fans of <a href="http://www.steamthinking.org/" target="_blank">STEAM</a> (Adding the A to STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering and Math), hence the dash of design and music. For more info about the conference which is only 20 minutes from my home studio, check out <a href="http://www.masscue.org/pages/MassCUE/Conferences/2015_MassCUE_M_A_S_S__Technolo/2015_MassCUE_M_A_S_S__Fall_Tec" target="_blank">the conference page. </a><br />
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Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-81732658760871989892015-04-20T08:24:00.003-07:002015-04-20T08:25:43.261-07:00Wonder Spaces, Wonder People<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFJu9pc4vh9Sc1IQ_iZ7r9wFSvtFFZ4lWpBGREgNWKhBxz1yLOr2FtR7tYE6AXVve6asOsqcmgZRYmbGFEA0MIw_fzm2zKHtVFL0wZPm8utqPVSoPbIKn83FO4jK6BnIu9HBTSjInoqs/s1600/pete+art7200.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoFJu9pc4vh9Sc1IQ_iZ7r9wFSvtFFZ4lWpBGREgNWKhBxz1yLOr2FtR7tYE6AXVve6asOsqcmgZRYmbGFEA0MIw_fzm2zKHtVFL0wZPm8utqPVSoPbIKn83FO4jK6BnIu9HBTSjInoqs/s1600/pete+art7200.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I painted this at a peaceful sunny breakfast sitting outside on a terrace in Carmel-by-the-Sea while partaking in the <a href="http://www.giftcalifornia.org/events.html" target="_blank">Wonderspace</a> event created by <a href="mailto:richardtavener@gmail.com" target="_blank">Richard Tavener</a>. A dreamy place to paint. I was having breakfast with my brother, Paul and our amazingly brilliant friend, <a href="http://amyrobinson.me/" target="_blank">Amy Robinson</a>. Hanging out with inspirational people--in inspirational places helps get the creativity flowing!</span></div>
Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-83061482804670590152015-04-16T08:30:00.000-07:002015-04-17T10:02:26.090-07:00Show Them What You're Made Of<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCoHyN0rxjdWrYDB83yAeRyI2QFfLXY8qo4k7MFrXvU1jxf7l50hKd691bv16Pu6sIwHpPERlPR6PFMUwVa6eZII8VBv5F0OnnbzyA9G60fbNey_QwTKynmfboAeJAsjAnqkAo_kfi7s/s1600/show+them+what+you+are+made+of+-+peter+h+reynolds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhCoHyN0rxjdWrYDB83yAeRyI2QFfLXY8qo4k7MFrXvU1jxf7l50hKd691bv16Pu6sIwHpPERlPR6PFMUwVa6eZII8VBv5F0OnnbzyA9G60fbNey_QwTKynmfboAeJAsjAnqkAo_kfi7s/s1600/show+them+what+you+are+made+of+-+peter+h+reynolds.jpg" height="400" width="218" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I made that sketch a few years ago to capture a thought. The initial spark happened just before I was to speak to a few thousand teachers in Nebraska. I looked out at the sea of faces before me. I wondered who they were. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">A classic piece of sage advice when public speaking: <span style="color: #674ea7;">Know Your Audience.</span> I can usually cobble together a general profile, but I suddenly thought: "I wish had an hour or two to speak to <i>each</i> one individually to find out a few things about them." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's what we'd talk about:</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What grades do you work with? </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What subjects do you teach? </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If you could add something that you'd like to teach (not necessarily part of the official curriculum) what would that be? </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What inspired you to become a teacher? </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Who were your favorite teachers growing up? </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What interesting fact about you do few people know? </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What would you still like to learn? </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What is the most challenging part of teaching? </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">What has been the best part of teaching?</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">And so on. </span><i><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">My quick estimate of how long those conversations would take was about <span style="color: red;"><i>167 days </i></span>(building in some downtime to sleep and eat - although I <i>do</i> love dinner table conversation too!) </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Well, I only had <i><span style="color: red;">two minutes</span></i> of extra time before my talk began, so I'd have to ask my audience a few questions as I went--and hopefully find connections with my audience about learning, creativity and personal navigation. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Without having had my <span style="color: #a64d79;"><i>"one-on-one's"</i></span> I was confident that the room was filled with very interesting human beings. While I didn't have the luxury of getting to know <i>each</i> of them, it occurred to me that <i>their students</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"> had about 180 days </span>to get to know them. It also occurred to me that--at least in public schools in the United States--we don't build in much--or any --time for teachers to share with students who <i>they</i> are. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Imagine if students knew the answers to the questions above? (They could skip the first two questions--hopefully--if they are paying attention.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I have forgotten the names of quite a few teachers my own educational journey. (The ones that took us chapter by chapter through the issued text book.) The educators I DO remember shared who they were. Their own stories. Their own adventures. Their questions. Their frustrations. Their passions. Their service to others. Their lives beyond the walls of the school. </span><br />
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One of those funny "aha!" moments when I met my third grade teacher, Mrs. Smith in the local supermarket buying pineapples.<br />
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"What is she doing <i>out of school</i>??"<br />
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"She eats <i>pineapples</i>?"<br />
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It began to dawn on me that teachers were allowed <i>out</i> of school and that they actually had a life beyond those walls. <br />
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I feel strongly that students benefit from knowing more about the amazing teacher there to inspire them. Discovering that your teacher is an interesting person, is curious, isn't perfect, has talents, has hobbies, has dreams, and is still learning. That is a powerful lesson. <br />
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So, go ahead and show them what you're made of. <br />
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<i>(By the way, this goes for parents too!) </i><br />
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Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-31739360251123569562015-03-13T09:05:00.000-07:002015-10-21T14:09:35.610-07:00Flying by the Seat of Your Pants<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I found this little looped animation in my archives created using <a href="http://www.animationish.com/">Animation-ish.</a> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I had forgotten all about it, but I was delighted by this image of a young person hovering--looking slightly perplexed--and possibly delighted at the position they're in. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">I looked up a definition of the idiom </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"flying by the seat of one's pants." </span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">To use one's judgement, initiative, and perceptions as events unfold in order to improvise a course of action without a predetermined plan.</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In other words, to "wing it."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">It's a great skill to have. Creative people are very good at it. They welcome the blank page, the surprise, and </span></span><span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">the sudden stage. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If classrooms were allowed to go "off-script" more often, students would get practice thinking for themselves--and rather than be perplexed by being thrown into unfamiliar situations--they would be:</span></span></div>
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Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-72961378588738312582015-03-06T11:15:00.000-08:002015-03-06T11:18:10.369-08:00Personal Quest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">I'm not sure when exactly this "personal quest" emerged, but it was probably about 30 years ago. I was in a boat and I looked at the water and saw the dancing and flowing patterns and wondered how I would ever be able to capture that undulating wonder on paper. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">It haunted me-- for decades. Still does. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Almost every time I would see water, whether the ocean, a lake or a pool, in real life or in a photo, I would think:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"How can I capture this?" </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Strangely, I have made very <i>few</i> attempts to tackle drawing water. Instead, I have put my energy into <i>seeing</i> water. I am comforted with the thought that it might be more important to actually SEE--and appreciate--than to "capture" it. In my book, <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763623449" target="_blank">ISH</a>--the last scene shows Ramon savoring a spring day and instead of "capturing it"--he instead "simply savors it." </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Having said that, I am still on a quest to make a painting of water. Staring down the patterns that nature creates. Breaking it down. Translating the shapes. Mixing my paints to approximate those shapes. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">There is something wonderful about having a challenge teasing me. Perhaps it is better not to tackle it and just have it coax me along... to keep my eyes open and really see this beautiful world we're blessed to be living in. </span></span><br />
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Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-53580286587737561082015-03-02T08:11:00.000-08:002015-03-02T08:11:17.635-08:00Our Haiku-llaboration<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: purple;"> I noticed a tweet from a classroom in Colorado. </span></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOC_gQIVnN5ky8xRCSPudnW8yMl3WpvbmFDZgh3DRmGK69XxBjG_MooNzcnRS7UcCNoMv9ntv-kWFDaHOpNuWF4Ul_G479Sdb5oi9zUrTPFzCsiUloVlhZdRmVRkmn0hk_PqkOM1GaIk/s1600/Screenshot+2015-03-01+13.44.49.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhOC_gQIVnN5ky8xRCSPudnW8yMl3WpvbmFDZgh3DRmGK69XxBjG_MooNzcnRS7UcCNoMv9ntv-kWFDaHOpNuWF4Ul_G479Sdb5oi9zUrTPFzCsiUloVlhZdRmVRkmn0hk_PqkOM1GaIk/s1600/Screenshot+2015-03-01+13.44.49.png" height="120" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: purple;">I'm incredibly busy these days with a pile of projects, but I enjoy little distractions to help my brain stay engaged and inspired. Writing <a href="http://www.hmhbooks.com/guyku/resources.html" target="_blank">Haiku</a> is fun, so I was eager to dive in and get started, but I noticed that the Sixth Avenue Elementary students had directed the request to Sharon Creech as well. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: purple;">The idea of a collaboration popped into my head.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: purple;">A "haikullaboration!" </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: purple;">I messaged <a href="http://sharoncreech.com/" target="_blank">Sharon Creech</a>, who happens to be one of my favorite authors and, I am lucky to say, a friend. I asked Sharon if she'd like to start a haiku for me and I would do the same for her. We'd take turns writing the next line--and I would illustrate the results. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: purple;">So... I sent the first line to Sharon.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: purple;">"Please, dear, sit with me." </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: purple;">She added the next line, sending it back to me to finish it up. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: purple;">Here is our first haikullaboration:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: purple;">Sharon then sent <i>me</i> a line: Glass bottle of ink." </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: purple;">I closed my eyes and imagined a bottle of ink--a familiar item to me. I saw it in my studio--ready and able when the time was just right. I added my line and sent back for Sharon to add that lovely last line to make our second haikullaboration.</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: purple;">On Monday March 2, 2015 at 11am EST, we tweeted our illustrated poems out to our friends at Sixth Avenue Elementary School. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: purple;"><br />On another haiku note, I illustrated a book with <a href="http://www.bobraczka.com/" target="_blank">Bob Raczka</a> called "GuyKu" (Haiku for Guys) and we developed a <a href="http://hmhbooks.com/guyku/" target="_blank">fun site</a> to explore this whimsical form of poetry. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: purple;"><br />I hope this post inspires your own creative collaborations!</span></span></span></div>
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Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-79128072567800149142015-02-22T08:27:00.000-08:002015-03-02T06:50:52.853-08:00HELP WANTED<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_KpImQZVsTsP2Sn0PHO01St9Xr5PgzXYoi72LutaZpVsnMuqNHvZT3ps28I-eos4cTZXiH_ca9ibFBHNs2DR90Iy_MIl0XIxPuaOkyw9cPdsyC5UvKlBa_9tfSQWm7tX-378zNODGes/s1600/northstar+classified.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6_KpImQZVsTsP2Sn0PHO01St9Xr5PgzXYoi72LutaZpVsnMuqNHvZT3ps28I-eos4cTZXiH_ca9ibFBHNs2DR90Iy_MIl0XIxPuaOkyw9cPdsyC5UvKlBa_9tfSQWm7tX-378zNODGes/s1600/northstar+classified.png" height="228" title="" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">"What do you want to be when you grow up?"</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Do you remember that question from when you were a student? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Imagine if we help kids broaden their choices and think bigger? I created this "classified ad" page to get kids (and grown up kids) pondering their futures in more creative ways. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Often kids will name a role: <b>Firefighter, police officer, soccer player, teacher, author. </b>Why not get them to dig a little bit deeper?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">How about a <b>firefighter</b> whose mission was to fight as few fires as possible because their mission is to promote safety in their communities? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">How about an <b>author</b> whose mission is to get kids interested in the environment? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><b>The North Star</b> (or Polaris) is part of the constellation <b>Ursa Minor.</b> You can think of your future in the same way. Your North Star might be your guiding role--but you have other "stars" in your constellation that--if you see the connections and weave them in--which will guide you on a much more meaningful journey. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">In 1997, I wrote a book called <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763636777" target="_blank">The North Star t</a>o inspire creative thinking about crafting a meaningful future. It grew out of my own personal experience and working with educators who wondered out loud with me about what they wanted their students to leave their classrooms with after 180 spent with them. It sparked an array of answers which--when I looked at my notes--appeared to be a constellation. It also sparked a lot of questions and creative ways to inspire mindful thinking. </span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntf1kpccPVXmS628JtuNn3GpzinT2wVrpc5_p-IuY3bb733IW4bit8L6dww2yg22nLG2umLu-LrqdvtEkiY2UBZbbel50r1iFvNE0RvGjhL_4jK2brUZHrHOcsFVxy_tQE2_Y4aOYH1E/s1600/9780763636777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgntf1kpccPVXmS628JtuNn3GpzinT2wVrpc5_p-IuY3bb733IW4bit8L6dww2yg22nLG2umLu-LrqdvtEkiY2UBZbbel50r1iFvNE0RvGjhL_4jK2brUZHrHOcsFVxy_tQE2_Y4aOYH1E/s1600/9780763636777.jpg" height="185" title="The North Star " width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I created The North Star as a picture book for all ages. <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><br /></span></span></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">Here's are two "North Star" ways of asking "What do you want to be when you grow up?":</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"What will your <i>mission</i> be when you grown up?" </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"What kind of person would you like to be when you grow up?" </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">"WANTED: WONDERFUL NEIGHBOR. Should be generous, kind, and respectful. Willing to lend a hand, a ladder or supply </span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">a cup of sugar. </span></span>Being active in the community is a plus."</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Georgia,"Times New Roman",serif;">If you or the young people in your life have ideas for additional "job listings" - send them my way and I will add to this "constellation" of career possibilities! </span></span><br />
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Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-19820369760004872013-09-07T14:40:00.003-07:002013-09-07T14:47:30.118-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">As I sit here in my studio watching the number of participants of International Dot Day 2013 soar, (984,000 at the moment) it seemed appropriate to share this image of my book "The Dot" which soared up into space aboard the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soyuz_(rocket_family)" target="_blank">Soyuz rocket</a> last December tucked into the kit of <span style="color: #0b5394;"><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Hadfield" target="_blank">Commander Chris Hadfield</a>. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In November of 2012, I noticed that a Canadian astronaut had begun following me on Twitter! I was curious why. How were our "dots" connected? Well, we are <i>both</i> Canadians. And we have <i>incredibly</i> fun jobs and missions. And... well, I was about to discover that we had only just begun to connect our dots. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I was in my bookshop <a href="http://www.bluebunnybooks.com/" target="_blank">The Blue Bunny</a> in Dedham, MA, when the phone rang. Our staffer, Cheryl picked up the phone and handed it to me with wide eyes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"There's an astronaut on the phone for you." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">There was indeed. Chris explained that he was working on a children's book and had hoped I would want to collaborate. I was <i>very</i> curious and excited to sit down to explore the idea with him, but he said that he would be busy for the next six months as<b><span style="color: #cc0000;"> he was flying into space to command the International Space Station. </span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"I'd love to go <i>with</i> you! Someday, I'd love to fly into space," I shared.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">"Well, I might be able to get you one step closer."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Chris said that if I sent a book to Houston overnight, his wife, Helene might--just might--be able to pack it in into his personal kit being sent in the Soyuz rocket in only a few weeks time. It would need to be scanned by NASA and approved. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I rushed a copy of <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763619619" target="_blank">The Dot</a> to Texas. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Months went by and I watched with the rest of the world as Chris shot into space and began his five month command, regaling us all with beautiful photos, an amazing Twitter account of his adventures, and of course, his now famous <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KaOC9danxNo" target="_blank">Space Oddity video</a>. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The phone rang in January and I did not recognize the number on my cell phone. It was Commander Hadfield! He wanted to just check in to say hi and see if I was still noodling that book idea. He spoke quickly--noting that the ship would soon be out of range of the satellite he was using to call me. I forgot to ask if the book had made it aboard. I had to wait until he landed and came to Boston to visit me to find out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The Dot had, in fact, travelled into space. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">The book had floated in the cupola of the ISS where he snapped this photo. My book, written 10 years ago, about a girl on a journey to discover her bravery, creativity, and compassion, had orbited to Earth 2,500 times and had been flown back to the planet with the Commander. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><a href="http://www.thedotclub.org/dotday" target="_blank">International Dot Day</a>, celebrated on or about, Sept 15th each year has gone global - and now it has gone galactic! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>To follow <a href="http://www.chrishadfield.ca/" target="_blank">Chris</a> on Twitter: @Cmdr_Hadfield</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>You can see the book on display in our bookshop, but it will also be going on tour at some point. </i></span></div>
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Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-28809409801738637422013-09-03T07:43:00.001-07:002013-09-03T07:43:19.753-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">MIND THE GAP</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Children start out on a creative roll. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Drawing, splashing, singing, dancing, building, exploring, playing. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Many though, slow down as they get older and, by the age of ten-ish, leave the creating to others. Not just art, but creative thinking, original ideas, bravery, and sharing one's voice. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I call it the "switching yard." </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Quite a few trains get rerouted. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Decades of tracks laid out in a straight, safe, and predictable route.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For some, it can be boring and frustrating. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">For many others though, it can be quite productive and pleasant, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">although often there is a lingering sense </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">that <i>something was missing</i> </span></div>
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<span style="color: #0b5394; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">on that journey. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">A curious thing happens when people retire: </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">They get brave again. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">It is interesting to note that one of the first things many folks </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">do is to take an art course - or some other creative endeavor. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">That "gap" of five decades was valuable time not being used </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">to practice thinking creatively, being brave, exploring original ideas, </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">and sharing one's voice with the world. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Anything we keep at -- gets easier over time. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So... please. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">MIND THE GAP.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">: )</span></div>
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<span style="color: #990000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;">For those not familiar with London Transport's "MIND THE GAP" - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind_the_gap" target="_blank">here's a bit of background</a>.</span></div>
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Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7820714630378927692.post-84250222031996868012013-08-10T17:41:00.002-07:002013-08-12T06:48:20.238-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8gA2Q3kyK2R-haQTyv4yTob2ReXKPOx0FNaHiCLjadt5HZzs3pK-6xD1e9wCSrndcc7oBZWY35J3Cb6YA51dFjGbzLgvq2qmlRWMq8RZo0oGv-G2NtipG9N0C50thhFtt7wn3g-WbBo/s1600/lauren_anderson_book_about_me2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF8gA2Q3kyK2R-haQTyv4yTob2ReXKPOx0FNaHiCLjadt5HZzs3pK-6xD1e9wCSrndcc7oBZWY35J3Cb6YA51dFjGbzLgvq2qmlRWMq8RZo0oGv-G2NtipG9N0C50thhFtt7wn3g-WbBo/s640/lauren_anderson_book_about_me2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-large;">The Lost "Me Book"</span></span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">While at a church fair in Dedham during the winter of 2012, a children's book caught my eye: "MY BOOK ABOUT ME" by Dr. Seuss and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_McKie" target="_blank">Roy McKie</a>. My "radar" is always looking for tools to help kids discover who they are and who they hope to become. My book, <a href="http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780763636777" target="_blank">The North Star </a>(Candlewick Press) explores self-discovery using the metaphor of constellations as a guiding map. After reading the book, I have kids (and grown up kids too) create their own maps with stars representing their talents, skills, interests and dreams. The map becomes an open-ended journey guidance system. </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Great educators, parents and caregivers know that</span><span style="color: #e69138; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> the better you know the learner, the better you'll be able to connect, encourage, inspire the learner.</span><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I flipped through the pages--delighted to see that the owner of the book--a young girl named Lauren--had filled in most of the pages with answers to the book's many question and drawings including a tracing of her foot! It was a wonderful glimpse of who she was at the time. I wondered where Lauren might be now. How old was she? What she was doing now? </span><br />
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<span style="color: #3d85c6; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">It seemed a bit sad that this treasure had been tossed in a box to be sold at on the "White Elephant" table on a cold winter morning. I felt lucky to have come to the book's rescue. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So I took the "MY BOOK ABOUT ME" home with me and eventually to my children's book studio--placing it on my "Wall of Inspiration." I took it down recently and flipped through its pages. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I noticed a page with Lauren's address. A bit of detective work and I discovered that her parents still live at that address. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #a64d79;">Would it be strange to return this orphaned book? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Was it Lauren who tossed it in a donation box? A parent in frenzy of spring cleaning? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">I am just too curious not to "re-connect the dots." </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #6aa84f;">In that spirit, I will send Lauren's book back home to her. </span>Perhaps I'll add a copy of The North Star with a hope that she has followed her constellation to a stellar place. : )</span><br />
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Peter H. Reynoldshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00535826632650043151noreply@blogger.com5