12 Books That Inspire Creativity in Kids

As I'm sure you've gathered by now, anything art, craft or design related usually gets my engine revving.   Oh yes!     I have a long list of creative blogs that I follow, design magazines that I thumb through and art books that I leave dog-eared and piled up by my bedside table (I'm one exciting girl, eh!).   But  it doesn't stop there... nooooo.... I also like to read books that have creative themes to my son too.

I'm a sucker for story books with interesting illustrations and for tales which have an element of imagination.    

Illustration by Nik Afia and Jackie Doody

I gravitate towards fables with a particular kind of message too -  the kind where one person can make a big difference to their environment (i.e. with a little bit of effort on the part of the central character, a whole lot of wonderful can happen).

So, without further ado, here's my list of 12 Books That Inspire Creativity In Kids...

Joseph Had a Little Overcoat by Simms Taback

In this Yiddish folk tale, Joseph wears an old overcoat which has seen better days.  He decides to cut down the tired, patched up, old coat and make it into a jacket.  Soon his jacket starts to thin at the sleeves, so he chops it into a waistcoat.  When his waistcoat is worn, he turns it into a tie , and so it goes on and on until he has nothing left.... except for his story about his overcoat ,which he then turns into a book!   This Caldecott Medal winning book about a thrifty man, recycling materials teaches a valuable lesson about how things can be reused again and again.  The pages of the book also have clever die-cut holes which reveal the new item of clothing being made out of the old fabric print from the previous page.

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

Liam lives in a city that is a grey, dreary, industrial wasteland.  Not a tree, a plant or a shrub graces the landscape.   One day on a walk he accidentally stumbles upon a small patch of wildflowers growing up through an abandoned railway track.   He decides to tend to the wildflower scrub and finds himself cultivating a garden.   Over time this garden grows and spreads across the whole city.   It becomes a lush landscape that now everyone in the city can enjoy.   This beautifully illustrated storybook shows how one boy's creative hard work can enhance his environment and make a difference for everybody. 

It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw
White shapes are contrasted against a plain blue background bringing to mind the game where clouds in the sky are imagined to be silhouettes of animals, objects or people. This simple but clever book encourages the imagination.

The Paper Crane by Molly Bang

A young boy and his father own a restaurant that is situated on a busy road.   Business is good until a  highway is built nearby, diverting all the traffic (and their customers) elsewhere.   One day a stranger stops by the restaurant.  He has no money to pay for food, but the father chooses to serve and feed the poor man anyway.  As way of thanks the stranger crafts  a crane from a paper napkin.   It has magical qualities and so the father and son find their luck begins to change.   The author uses collage and origami to illustrate an enchanting tale of kindness and generosity.   The book's pages are flat, but the scenes appear to have a three dimensional quality to them because of the technique employed in the design.  

It's not a box by Antoinette Portis

A rabbit is pictured sitting, standing and leaning on a cardboard box.  When his actions are questioned ("why are you sitting in that box?"), he replies "it's not a box".  On the opposite page the illustration shows us what the rabbit is imagining the box to be (e.g. a race car, a burning building, a robot).   It's a gem of a book, illustrated with elegantly simple line drawings that capture what it's like to be inside a child's imaginative mind.   The author's sequel to this book, "It's Not a Stick", follows the same concept except that it is a pig at the center of the action. 

Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Root and Jill Barton

It's a hot day on the farm and Junie, Jakie and the baby want to cool off by taking a dip. Their Poppa, however, is not so sure that their old "rattletrap car" will make it all the way to the lake.  They head out anyway, making many stops along the way as their car keeps breaking down.  Fortunately, this resourceful family are able to use the items that they packed for their trip, in rather unusual ways, to fix their car.    The moral of this story... think creatively about how you can use what you already have.  Try fixing something old before you throw it away and buy something new. 

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

Harold is a small boy with a purple crayon.  But this is no ordinary crayon.  When Harold sketches, his drawings become the backdrop to his adventures.  If he draws a picture of the ocean he'll fall into it, so he has to think fast and draw a boat to save himself.  Harold's imagination takes him far and wide but ultimately brings him back to the safety of his own home and bed.  The author sends Harold on many other trips of the imagination in his series of "Harold" books, so be sure to check those out too, if you like this one.

Art and Max by David Wiesner

Art and Max are two lizards who have set up easels, ready to paint, in the desert.  Max is impressed by a portrait that Art (short for Arthur) has painted, so he decides to create a portrait himself.  He chooses Art as his subject and from that moment on things start to get crazy.  He says he's going to paint Art and he does... literally!  He takes Art apart with his brushstrokes and then has the challenging task of having to try to redesign him again.   By doodling, painting, using water and color, Max shows how to form figures, mix color and finally produce a finished product... his friend Art!    The book demonstrates a fun, carefree way to approach art.

The Tin Forest by Helen Ward and Wayne Anderson

An old man finds himself living in a dump ground.   Despite his best efforts to clean up the piles of trash, he just can't rid himself of the mess.  At night he dreams about beautiful lush forest, only to awake to the visual eyesore of another day of junk and clutter surrounding him.  By thinking creatively he overcomes his situation, creating his own  forest of his dreams out of the junk he has on hand.  He painstakingly crafts tin flowers, trees and animals, until a funny thing happens... his fake tin forest, is overtaken by a real living forest.  By creatively visualizing his problem in a different way, the old man finds a solution. 

The next three books were recommended to me by my friend Gina (The Twin Coach) and I couldn't  agree more with these suggestions...

Ish by Peter H. Reynolds

A boy loves to draw, until his pictures are mocked for not looking realistic enough  Eventually he realizes that drawing something that looks "tree-ish" or "vase-ish" is wonderful in it's own way.  It opens a whole new world for him.  The message... art doesn't have to be precise to be appreciated.

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds

A girl thinks she can't draw until she is encouraged by a teacher to see her simple dot on a page as something worth being proud of.   She becomes a great artist and encourages others in the same way her teacher did. Paying it back.   The book promotes the importance of having confidence in ones  own efforts. 

When Pigasso Met Mootisse by Nina Laden

Pigasso (a pig) and Mootisse (a bull) are two artists with two different styles of painting. They are friends until their differences drive them apart. Then they realize they miss each other and that both ways of creating are equally as wonderful.   This book invites discussion about the various styles of art and shows it's ok that my neighbors painting is not the same as my own. 

Ok, so that's it.   Is there a creative story book for children that you love, that you think should be included here?   Drop me a note and let me know.  I'd love to have more to add to my son's reading list.

Happy Ventures

Jackie

My Submarine To The Future

New Sub

Surprise!!!!!!   

As you can see I've made a few changes to My Submarine To The Future and I'm very excited to share my new look with you.

In an effort to make the style of my blog more in line with my interests, and in trying to achieve a more polished look, I've been fiddling about again.     I hope you like the results.   Yes, it's a brand new look but with your same old, trusty captain.

Let's continue this ride!

Jackie

My Submarine To The Future

P.S. Many thanks to my darling husband who helped me with the new transformation xx   

London Calling

The baby boy and I both came down with colds.    Needless to say that little else, other than coughing, spluttering and sniffing, has been going on in our house this week.  Fortunately, my super hubby came to the rescue with plenty of hot English tea, a pack of McVities chocolate Digestives (yum!) and this boxed puzzle of Tower Bridge, that he'd stashed away for just an occasion such as this.    

He picked it up during our most recent trip to Chinatown from a small store very close to Hop Louie restaurant.    We eagerly opened the box and busted out the pieces to see what we were working with.

The puzzle came flat packed.  Inside was a small square of sandpaper, an instruction page and two sheets of lightweight wood (the puzzle pieces were etched in the wood ready to be popped out and assembled),

Seemed pretty straight forward. 

Now, I've put together the odd Ikea cabinet before, so I'm no stranger to an instruction sheet.  I figured if we just simply follow the instructions and deal with one part at a time we should have this tower up in a flash...

 

..and that very well may have been true, except that our son had already started to do this....

...making things a little more complicated.

But using the picture on the box as a guide, and following some of the instructions, we finally managed to start getting it together.

At this point I was starting to get nostalgic for me old home London town. 

A few more pieces and an hour later, we finally had something to look at.

The real Tower Bridge is spectacular but to our little boy this toy one was really quite the marvel.  

We also had another puzzle, bought from the same place, that my husband put together himself... 

It's a forklift made from cardboard with workable parts!!!    That front fork really does goes up and down.  Neat, eh?

 

I like the way that the pieces in both of these puzzles fit together (no glue or tape required).  It gives me lots of ideas for constructing homemade projects with pieces that slot together.     Something to think about while I get over the sniffles. 

Achooo.... 

Happy Ventures

Jackie

My Submarine To The Future

What do your shoes say about you?

I sometimes like to take a little amble through the blogosphere by pressing the "next blog" button at the top of my blog page. It randomly selects different sites that I may never have found otherwise. Steph's Picture Blog was one of those sites for me.

Steph is a runner and he writes about the hikes he goes out on. He often includes photographs of landscapes and things he sees along his race route, but it was his post Shoefest that really caught my attention. It is simply a photograph of all his running shoes gathered together in a group. That's it. No words. No story. No details. Just a pile of weathered trainers (or 'sneakers" as they say in the US). The shoes are battered and worn and they tell the story of every step he has taken. Every mile he has run. Every path he has raced. His shoes tell the tale of his interests and his life. This picture speaks to me.

I began to think about my own shoes. What do MY shoes say about me? I dug them out of my closet to have a look.

The first thing I noticed was that, despite having recently donated a lot of shoes to Goodwill, I still manage to own footwear that has been around long enough to see Tony Blair move in (and out of) 10 Downing Street!

Here's my London boot collection. I call them "London" boots because (although they were not all purchased in the UK) they are from a time when I lived and worked in London over ten years ago. I loved these boots and often paired them with warm tights and mini skirts. I still try to wear them occasionally now (but, being 36 and not 26 anymore, I now pair them with a longer skirt). Alas, California is a very warm and sunny place making a boot outing a rarity.

No, these boots seem to belong to a different place now. A different life. A time filled with noise and action. The bustle of the underground (subway). The cold bite of winter mornings as I walked to Queens Park Station to catch the train to work in Notting Hill Gate, and the late Friday evenings spent enjoying an after work hours pint at the local pub (the name of which escapes me now).

How about these beauties?!!

My "dolly bird" shoes. Can you believe I used to wear some of these to work?! Seriously! I can barely wear a pair of heels for a couple of hours on a night out now, let alone 10 hours during a busy work day. Just thinking about chasing a toddler in these makes me laugh out loud. If these shoes could talk they would tell stories of evening soirees, late night dancing, office parties and deals made over clinking glasses. Their appearance these days is seldom, and fleeting at best.

Left. Right. Left. Right. Attention! Make way for my regiment of sneakers. My trusty stalwarts. These days you're most likely to catch me roaming around in a pair of these. They are in some ways how I see myself right at this moment. Functional. Comfortable. On the go. Prepared for anything and able to outrun a three year old making a bolt for the park gates. I appreciate my many days of wearing them (I haven't always felt that way) and they remind me of the importance of the things I do every day... the loving, the caring, the nurturing and the entertaining of my dear baby boy.

Yes, my shoes and I have been through a lot together.

We've traveled across countries. We've attended award ceremonies, graduations, weddings, and christenings. We've visited hospitals and, sadly, trodden the freshly turned earth of cemeteries. We've wandered country lanes, navigated foreign cities, trekked jungles and strolled sun-kissed beaches.

We've run races, achieved goals, nursed wounds and commiserated failures.

There is a quote I like which says...

Between saying and doing, many a pair of shoes is worn out

There is also an old Chinese proverb which reads...

Reshape one’s foot to try to fit into a new shoe

I ask myself, where will my feet and aspirations lead me next?

Only the future can tell.

Jackie

My Submarine To The Future

How Do You Kick Start Your Creativity?

The Happiness Project is a website (book and blog) about one woman's pursuit of happiness. Gretchen Rubin discusses the methods she practices, and the steps she takes, in the effort towards making happiness an integral part of her life.

A friend recently brought my attention to Gretchen's site when she sent me an interesting post from The Happiness Project blog called Eight Tips For Sparking Your Creativity.

It particularly struck a chord with me because it reinforces a belief I've long held - that creativity is 10% spontaneity and 90% hard work.

I'll confess that my "light bulb moments" are indeed far and few between these days (hey, it can be hard to think creatively when you're washing out a potty, or doing the laundry!) and I have come to realize that most of my ideas and imaginative moments occur when I am actively working towards the goal of TRYING to be creative. The bottom line is… if I don’t schedule in the opportunity and work at it, it ain't going to happen!

I'm always open to new suggestions where creative matters are concerned and I'm excited to try out some of Gretchen's methods. She also got me thinking about the list of ways I encourage my own creative thought process and so I figured I would share them with you. Here's how I kick start my imagination...

1. Get Out And Go Places

Take a spontaneous walk around the neighborhood. It can be very fruitful. I try to stop at a place I haven't visited before, or take a route I've not tried. I take in the colors, smell the roses, listen to the sounds of the city and admire the architecture. It's amazing what you see when you're really looking.

As well as spur of the moment trips, I also extend the practice of "going out" by making plans. I attend events, stop in at art galleries, visit craft fairs and go to exhibitions. If there are no events happening, I would perhaps consider planning one myself. That's a sure fire way to ensure plenty of opportunities for creativity - especially if the event has a fixed budget. Check out the calendar and use the upcoming dates as motivation. (e.g. Fall, Winter. Halloween. Thanksgiving. Christmas and other seasonal holidays).

2. Set A Challenge And Tell Somebody

If I say I’m going to do something, I hate not to follow through. More often than not, I end up persevering to complete whatever challenge it is that I set, just because I announced it. I like to think that by telling myself, the universe and whoever else is listening, I have witnesses to the promise I made and therefore I must fulfill it. If the challenge has a deadline, even better. Nothing like a bit of pressure to get really moving! Case in point... The Sketchbook Project.

3. Change it up

My husband is a writer and when he gets stuck for ideas he will stop and listen to music. Sometimes he’ll play, or even compose music. Suddenly he’ll be inspired to go back with a new take on the project he was doing. By going off on a creative tangent sometimes you can find new inspiration.

When I feel stuck I explore these other creative avenues… photography, writing, poetry, doodling, painting, collage, sewing, cooking, baking or even just thinking up a story – I often do this last one with my son. I ask him what he wants to hear a story about then I just start making it up. It’s usually very odd and he laughs but he doesn’t care that it doesn't make sense. It doesn't matter whether you are good, or not, at any of the other creative skills either, in the end it all goes towards your creative growth.

4. Draw like a kid

Often I can get so caught up in the idea of producing a finished product that it almost incapacitates me. I can't think of what to create because I'm obsessing about whether the end result will be any good.
This is a long time affliction of mine going way back to art school and it's there where I found a way to tackle it. They called it "timed free sketching". I like to call it "draw like a kid".

If you’ve ever seen a kid do art it goes something like this: they start a picture, work on it for an incredibly short amount of time. Stop. Then quickly move on to another picture (or something else entirely!)

This exercise is similar.... gather five objects from around the house. Arrange them on the table and draw what you see in front of you for exactly 5 minutes. When the time is up (no matter where the picture is at) stop drawing. Now start a new picture, of the same set up. You have to work fast if you want to have something on the page within the 5 minute allotted time period. I do this exercise for about 25 minutes, and sometimes I also change the medium I use between each picture (e.g. if I used pencils for my first drawing, I switch to crayons for my second, then charcoal, pastels or paint). I work quickly and freely. It’s very liberating and it usually provides some interesting results. When I finally sit down to draw for a longer period of time all the anxiety about creating something "good" is gone.

5. Seek mentors and the company of inspiring people

I enjoy connecting with people who I find inspiring, who I admire and who I can learn from. If I find a blog I like, or a community of people with similar interests, I try to connect with them. If they are an expert, or they just give great advice, I ask them questions. If they are creatively inclined I ask them about their inspiration and influences. I can be painfully shy, so this can be a challenge for me, but I've found that most people are happy to talk about their work and that the more I do it, the easier it gets. Surround yourself with people who encourage and inspire you. It can be very uplifting.

6. Start something. Start anything!

Simple as that. If there is something you've been meaning to do but you keep worrying about all the details... just start it. Every step forward is a step that will take you closer to completing your goal. I often get overwhelmed by the details of a project instead of just getting on with the task at hand. I get caught up sweating about things like "what do I want my company image to be" or "how should my business cards look" when in fact I should be just focusing on producing the actual product.

7. Keep a list

I have a list of all the different things that pop in my mind that I don't have time to fully work out. I also have long lists of craft ideas that I would like to make, when I get time. If I ever feel like my imagination has dried up and the creative tank is running on empty, I pull out the list and take a glug from the ideas reserve tank.

8. Recycle, Reuse and Fix

I try to look at trash in different ways. I think about all the different things I can do with one item of rubbish (e.g. a cardboard box can make a great toy oven, or a toy train). I collect things I can reuse (like jam jars to hold art supplies, or old newspapers for a collage) and I try to give things a second life.

In a similar vein, if something needs fixing, or has worn out, I try to think of a way to solve that particular problem myself. I confess that it takes every ounce of my being to resist the urge to run out and buy new stuff some days, but the thought of spending extra cash on non-essential items can be a good deterrent. I set myself a budget (less than the cost of the item if I were to purchase it new). Then I get busy. I do some research, or sometimes I wing it and work it out as I go. If the end result is a success then great, if not, then it doesn't matter, as the knowledge, insight and experience I gained from just trying are invaluable. Practice will make perfect and I will (hopefully!) learn from the mistakes.

So, that's how I do it. How about you?

What do you do to get your creative gears grinding?

Jackie

My Submarine To The Future