I still remember the first time it was pointed out to me that the things I drew did not even come close to looking like what I had intended them to portray. This was absolutely meant to be a helpful observation, but for many children, whether they are told so directly or figure it out for themselves that their drawings do not look "realistic," it is the beginning of the end of drawing for them. 

Why? One idea I've been told is that children's spatial perception often shifts in the later elementary years, and this causes them to begin doubting their abilities, perhaps even involving some feelings of shame once they compare their drawings to the way things "actually" look. If this is true, it is not surprising that it could have a very strong effect on one's desire to be creative, even beyond simply putting pen to paper.

This book, called Ish, is a part of Peter Reynolds' "Creatrilogy," which aims to encourage children to remain creative even when things may happen that cause them to doubt themselves. 

In this story, a boy named Ramon is drawing when his older brother comes over and laughs at one of his drawings. After much frustration with trying to get things to look "right," Ramon declares that he is done. Fortunately for him, there is someone who likes his drawings as they are, and encourages him to aim for "ish" instead of perfection. 

I don't think this parable is just for budding artists, but for anyone who has become so focused on perfection that they are unwilling to take the risk of something not turning out right. I hope that children who see themselves in Ramon's predicament will find permission to explore the "ish" of the many different ways to portray the world around us artistically.

As a lifelong attempting-to-recover perfectionist, I may say "I got this for my kid," which is true, but it's a lesson I need to learn as well. As I try to push myself to create more often, I want to remember this book when I get stuck or feel like something I made just didn't turn out "right."

For a story about a girl who's convinced she "just can't draw," see The Dot, also by Peter Reynolds. And if you've ever wondered what is the "correct" color to paint the sky, check out Sky Color to round out the trilogy.

Scrounged From: Amazon (a birthday present for our four-year-old)

Format: Hardcover
Author/Illustrator: Peter Reynolds
Pages: 32
Content Advisory: None

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My children found The Mousehole Cat at the library, and I ended up enjoying it more than I expected to. It is a bit too wordy for toddlers, but tells a charming story of a cat named Mowzer who inhabits a small fishing village in England.

Mowzer's "pet," a fisherman named Tom, feeds her all kinds of fish dishes throughout the week, and takes good care of her. But one day, a storm has raged for so long that the village has been without fish and is in desperate need of food, and Tom decides he must go out in his boat and brave The Great Storm-Cat.

The entire story is written from the perspective of Mowzer, who sees the wind as a giant cat paw swiping at the entrance to their harbor. She goes out with Tom in hopes of helping him to calm this powerful cat.  

While I had a bit of trouble pronouncing all the names of the different fish dishes, we enjoyed this sweet story, and certainly any cat lover would as well.

Scrounged From: Our local library

Format: Paperback
Author: Antonia Barber
Illustrator: Nicola Bayley
Pages: 40
Content Advisory: None

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Wolf Story was originally published in 1947, but feels timeless in its portrayal of a five-year-old boy named Michael who is always asking his father to tell him a story. That story -- about a hungry wolf named Waldo who is after a many-colored hen named Rainbow -- takes on a life of its own and becomes a "story within a story" as bits and pieces of it are told before bedtimes and on road trips by Michael's father.

Michael is reminiscent of many five-year-olds in that he wants to have input into the story, and doesn't want to let his father get away with ending it too soon. Michael's father is patient and creative, with an occasional sarcastic streak. 

I wouldn't have minded if the story of Waldo the wolf had gone on a bit longer, but as the ending shows, the best stories never really end. This book is a great length for young children who are just getting old enough for chapter books, but older children would probably enjoy it just as well.

Scrounged From: Amazon

Format: Hardcover
Author: William McCleery
Illustrator: Warren Chappell
Pages: 82
Content Advisory: One swear word, and a bit of cartoonish violence including bats and guns (no death).

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I had almost forgotten about Benjamin Bunny, Beatrix Potter's sequel to Peter Rabbit, but various images are coming back to me from childhood readings. 

It could just as easily have been titled "Peter Rabbit II: Return to Mr. McGregor's Garden," because that is exactly what takes place. Benjamin in joyful naivete and optimism, and Peter in wide-eyed reticence marked with occasional evidence of rabbit PTSD. Peter's fear of a repeat of his previous "adventure" is obvious to the adult reader, but may go over the heads of children (it did for me).

They have a close but boring encounter with a cat, but all end up okay since Benjamin's father, as the book states, "had no opinion whatever of cats," and manages to save the rabbit boys by channeling General Woundwort from Watership Down. 

As a child I remember being terribly disappointed when Beatrix Potter says that she can't draw us a picture of Peter and Benjamin hiding under the basket because it was too dark under there. For me it became a matter of great curiosity every time this was read, trying to picture exactly how things must have looked under that dark basket.

In addition to this little adventure, the story also introduces children to many words likely not found in children's books today, such as "gig" (nothing to do with a band), "muffetees," "tam-o-shanter," "cuffed," etc.

Peter's mother makes another appreance in this story -- we are told at the end that she forgave him when he returned from a second brush with death, because she was so glad he had found his clothes. I'm telling you -- it's all about the clothes with these century-old British bunnies.

Scrounged From: Our local flea market

Format: Paperback
Author/Illustrator: Beatrix Potter
Pages: 62
Content Advisory: Peril, and also, the bunnies get hit with a switch by Benjamin's father at the end.

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I've grown up with Peter Rabbit, and for a book published more than a century ago, it has held up pretty well, though you'd be hard pressed to find a modern children's story that makes use of quite so many semicolons (if any).

Still, I much prefer the original, with Beatrix Potter's artwork, to any version that attempts to "update" or condense the story in various ways (such as replacing terms like "implored" and "fortnight.") Potter's little hand-drawn characters portray so much warmth, but also the gravity of being proper British rodents -- such as when Peter escapes from almost certain death and his mother's first reaction is to wonder what he did with his clothes. It's all about social survival with these bunnies. In fact, Peter's mother is clearly cut from the same cloth as Mrs. Tabitha Twitchet.

Although it may be too wordy yet for children in the "board book stage," this is still a classic cautionary story of danger and survival that all children should encounter at some point.

Scrounged From: Our local flea market

Format: Paperback
Author/Illustrator: Beatrix Potter
Pages: 62
Content Advisory: Mainly just peril. We learn early on that Peter's father ended up in a pie.

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