Dot Day Changed Me
“Make your mark and see what it takes you” - Peter H. Reynolds, The Dot
It’s not an exaggeration to say that The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds and Dot Day, founded by the incredible educator Terry Shay, have been pivotal to my growth and identity as a library worker and educator. International Dot Day (which takes place September 15-ish) is a joyful celebration of creativity, connection and community, as we explore ways we can make our mark. There's no one way to celebrate Dot Day - and no limit to the impact of our efforts.
During my former career as an academic librarian, I collaborated with the Education through the Arts class when I also taught Children's Literature to co-host a Skype (remember Skype?!) visit with Peter H. Reynolds for pre-service teachers in 2014, as well as on an author study focused on Peter Reynolds. (The students, of course, created handmade thank you cards to send to Peter, which he shared meant a lot to him.) (I’m so grateful to my past self who recorded our Skype visit audio, so I time traveled just now listening to our visit, hearing my former students’ brilliant questions and getting even more inspired by Peter’s call to action for future teachers, including reminding us to remember why we got into education. My blog post/article was even shared in the school’s monthly newsletter - hopefully helping to spotlight our epic collaboration and learning experience.
We used The Dot as our theme for the year, which was launched at our new student orientation. We even encouraged staff and administrators to create Celebridots, providing die-cut dots in their staff mailboxes to use as templates. Later, we had an art gallery show of staff and faculty dots (with accompanying free snacks, of course), which was so much fun for staff and students.
When I pivoted to work at a public library, I hosted yearly Dot Day passive programs where kids created dots that decorated our youth desk, and of course, explored a thematic display of books. The Dot/Dot Day has been a catalyst for connections in libraries of all kinds to inspire creativity and think deeply about the difference we can make.
In fall of 2023, as a relatively new staff member at my current library, it felt so validating to be able to launch a variety of Dot Day activities, which made me feel more at home - and free to be myself. We hosted a passive program where kids created their own dots sharing what mark they wanted to make this year to add to our bulletin board. We also created a Dot Day scavenger hunt (scavenger hunts are life) composed of original dots that my Youth Services colleagues created, literally demonstrating how everyone (grown-ups too) can be creative and express themselves - and should make art. We also encouraged community members to participate in “Dots for Doors” by creating a template they could take home, decorate, and put up on their door or window. And then, take a walk in their community to explore what their neighbors have made. We have no idea if people participated in this activity, but I’d like to think we planted a seed for public art and encouragement. And at its heart, Dot Day is about putting ideas out into the world - and letting go of knowing where they’d land.
In September, my awesome colleague Amanda and I visited our local school, Avoca West, to celebrate International Dot Day. The school, led by their school librarian, Susan Geidner, made us feel like rock stars, with a chalk-art parking spot and hand-decorated capes! Amanda and I read The Dot, talked about how we'll make our mark, sang Emily Arrow's Dot Day song - that Amanda taught herself on the ukulele, and made a 20th year book anniversary video for Peter H. Reynolds. (Not pictured: In the library surrounded by dot art in the windows and decor, crowds of incredible kids, dressed up in dot fashion, wearing capes and being awesome.)
Amanda and I also made a joyful twirl video together to celebrate Dot Day! Twirling is definitely a way we can make our mark.
Later that year, we returned to Avoca West as guests for their magical author visit with Peter H. Reynolds and Marc Colagiovanni, celebrating the release of their new book, The Reflection in Me. The entire school filled their gym to hear from Peter and Marc, many kids spotting dot-tastic fashion! A group of students offered fantastic introductions and closing statements, embedding their knowledge of their books throughout their original scripts, with very clever wordplay. Peter and Marc read The Reflection in Me aloud - and talked about taking care of our amazing brains and hearts, which is something we all needed to hear. This experience was heart-expanding and inspiring. And at the end, Amanda and I had the chance to meet Peter and Marc - and take a picture with them with our library beasties, Minty & Marshmallow! This experience was made possible by their exceptional school librarian Susan Geidner who truly made her mark at Avoca West - and beyond! We were so grateful to be welcomed to this joyful learning community!
In 2024, Amanda and I hosted a spontaneous Dot Day singalong with Emily Arrow's Dot Day song during our open play program, filmed by our awesome colleague, Ruth. Our families had a great time learning the song and hand motions. And of course, our library mascots, Minty and Marshmallow joined us since they're celebrating Dot Day too! M&M have certainly made their mark on our community; friends often recognize them from our preschool and school visits when they visit the library. (And now you can buy the instrumental mp3 and sheet music from Emily Arrow!)
Dot Day programs don’t have to be formal, reserved ahead of time, on the calendar, outlined and lesson planned - they don’t even have to be programs. Dot day brings people together - and there’s no limit of ways we can connect. And by hosting Dot Day experiences, we build connections with those we celebrate with, which changes everyone, for good.
Even more ideas for Dot Day!
Tie-in your Dot Day celebrations with National Good Neighbor Day and Welcoming Week to focus on community and belonging
National Voter Registration Day is September 15 - Every state has different election rules, which can be confusing, so we can make a huge difference to help people get informed. VOTE411 is committed to ensuring voters have the information they need to successfully participate in every election. Visit Vote411 to register to vote - and access many more resources.
Utilize community resources like your library’s makerspace and upcycling and maker groups to express your creativity.
Explore human-made creativity without using AI - and support artists who make the work you love. For example, you could use Oh Happy Dani’s Back to School collection as mentor texts, inspiration, decor, and gifts.
Literally just make some art; you don’t have to be a teacher, librarian, author, artist, or related to these fields to be creative. Even better, gather some colleagues/friends at lunch, bring some watercolors and paper and have fun.
There is a treasure trove of resources you can use to host Dot Day activities!
International Dot Day website
Official Creativity Gear (as in the legit, official Peter H. Reynolds-designed gear. Most importantly, all proceeds support their non-profit work)
Dot Day Articles
Back in the day, I shared about these experiences in real time on my In the Key of Books blogspot account, so I thought I’d share them here, so my Dot Day fandom process can live all on the same place (along with fixed or corrected links from the original posts and some minor editing).
Ishful Thinking: Our Marvelous Skype Visit with Peter H. Reynolds (First published Friday, June 6, 2014)
As individuals we are powerful, but together, we are limitless. Like Captain Planet, our combined strengths create something new and incredible. We uphold this value at the college I teach at, consistently quoting the Illinois Professional Teaching Standards (Goal #8, to be more precise), but it’s one thing to stand on a soapbox and another to teach by example. And we know which one has a lasting result…
Pictured above: Student-created art from Education through the Arts course
This semester I had the opportunity to collaborate with my new colleague, Rena Grosser, a licensed Art Therapist, who is teaching our Education through the Arts course. Rena is all about experiential learning, finding new and innovative ways to bring the arts to life in her classroom. Rena dreams big and as we brainstormed about connecting her Education through the Arts class and my Children’s Literature class, we came up with the idea of connecting virtually with an author/illustrator who could perfectly capture the value of the arts in the classroom. It was a no-brainer; we knew we had to invite Peter H. Reynolds to join us. All future teachers (and current ones, too) should be familiar with his work.
As an author and illustrator, Peter H. Reynolds creates powerful, beautiful, authentic stories about creating art, going on journeys, expressing ourselves, taking chances, and the endless possibilities within. As an entrepreneur, he co-founded FableVision (along with his brother, Paul Reynolds, and Gary Goldberger), a company that seeks to make the world a better place using storytelling, films, programs, and teaching tools that engage all learners. As an advocate for arts in education, he is a passionate and thoughtful voice for creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and compassion. As future teachers, I hoped my students would be inspired by his work and accomplishments.
However, while I was familiar with Peter Reynolds’ famous ode to self-expression, The Dot, I didn’t know much about his work before this experience. In order to prepare for our author visit, we engaged in an Author Study. Think of it as Peter H. Reynolds Con minus the cosplay. (Oh, actually The Dot cosplay sounds amazing!) Author visits are only as successful as the effort put into preparing for them. I put aside a collection of books by Peter Reynolds in our library so students could easily access and read his books. (Thanks, Skokie Public Library, for your extensive Peter Reynolds collection!) Working in pairs or individually, my students chose from a selection of topics to research and present to the class. Topics included:
Personal Biography and his work
Professional Biography and his work
Inspiring the Creative Spirit: The Dot and Ish
Peter’s Art and Creative process
Following your Dreams: The North Star and Rose's Garden
Peter’s Illustrations for Other Writers (Megan McDonald, Judy Blume, Alison McGhee)
International Dot Day and Dot Activity
Innovation and Creation: Going Places (co-written by Paul Reynolds) & Sydney’s Star
Connected and Disconnected: I’m Here + So Few of Me
For each topic, the students provided the essential background information to familiarize us with the topic. They shared suggestions for how to bring each topic into the classroom and how to help readers make text-to-self and text-to-world connections. And they prepared questions for Peter in anticipation of our author visit.
During our Author Study, I was not the holder of knowledge, the arbiter of understanding, the queen of content; my students were. While I provided resources and support, my students became experts in their topics and were given a forum to share this knowledge and passion. It was a joy to behold as my students took the reins in my classroom and became the teachers. This kind of authentic learning gave them ownership of the information and helped them feel prepared to engage in critical analysis of Peter’s work and connect with him over Skype.
When we were done with the Author Study, it was time to switch classrooms and join Rena to Skype with Peter Reynolds. We knew that his work was beautiful and inspiring, that he was an passionate advocate for literacy and the arts, but we had no idea just how generous and supportive he would be. Across the hundreds of miles that separated us, we connected in incredibly meaningful ways. He asked us to be brave – and help our students become brave. He issued a challenge to us to “create a culture that supports creativity and sharing ideas” by not putting down our own abilities, but instead, engage in creating art along with our students. Just like The Dot, he emphasized the importance of displaying student-created work in our classrooms and supporting their artistic endeavors. We were captivated by his behind-the-scenes stories about the publication of his books. I felt gratified when he touched upon ideas that my students had mentioned during our Author Study; I could see the gears in their minds click together as we listened. We were particular moved by his story about his math teacher who noticed Peter’s drawing skills and realized that Peter could use his gifts and talents to teach. He asked Peter to create a comic to teach math concepts. This led Peter to create his first animated film and showed him a new world of possibilities. This teacher planted the seeds for all that came afterwards. As teachers, what could be more powerful?
While our Skype visit had to come to an end, Peter urged us to think of him as a friend and stay connected. It’s hard to put into words, but just by connecting with him for a brief time, I felt more hopeful about the world and my place in it. I don’t think I was the only one. Peter’s message about the impact that teachers can have has planted seeds now that are sure to bear fruit in my students’ future classrooms. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Here are some of my students’ responses to this experience.
“It was so helpful that we had done all that background information.”
“I want to write!”
“[I love his idea of] doing the unexpected.”
“He’s amazing – and I really think he’s changing the world. I hadn’t heard of Peter Reynolds before this class, but he really touched me, and I’m inspired!”
“I really like how he said you can be creative in lots of [different] ways.”
“I felt so prepared and knowledgeable when it came to ... our Skype visit with Peter Reynolds. Meeting him was a really cool, especially because we spent so much time studying his work.”
In the end, all the time and effort we put into collaborating on our Peter Reynolds Author Study and Skype visit is small compared to the impact that this experience has had – and will continue to have for our students. This experience will be a touchstone for our community of future teachers who will draw inspiration from it and light the way for their students.
Peter H. Reynolds Resources
Collaboration is not limited to our classrooms. It is my hope that the work we have done can be useful for other teachers and communities. I truly believe in the value of creating work - and sending it out into the world.
Presentations
Peter Reynolds' Biography by Faygie C. and Batsheva N.
Connected and Disconnected: I’m Here + So Few of Me by Eti Berland(Feel free to use, reuse, remix.)
Peter Reynolds' Illustrations for Other Authors by Sarah M.
Creation and Innovation:Going Places and Sydney's Star By Chava S.
Resources for Author Study
Peter Reynolds’ Website
Peter Reynolds’ blog
FableVision
Peter's Store: Bluebunny Books
The Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning and Creativity
Fable Library
Videos
Children's Book Author Peter Reynolds Author and illustrator ("The Dot", "Ish") Peter H. Reynolds talks about why he does what he does.
I'm Here
Ish
He was Me
Above and Beyond
Books
The Educator's Guide for The Museum, by Susan Verde, Art by Peter H. Reynolds
Q&A with Megan McDonald and Q&A with Peter H. Reynolds
Mr. Schu Reads: I'm Here: Interview with Dr. Paul Mullen
The Dot/Dot Day
The Educator's Handbook for International Dot Day
A Guide for Classrooms using The Dot and Ish
Brain Burps about Books Podcast: Interview with Terry Shay
The Dot Club
Interviews
Bildungsroman Blog: Interview about Sky Color
General Author Study Resources
TeachingBooks.net
How to Get your Child to Love Reading by Esme Raji Codell
Something about the Author
Scholastic's BookFlix
Author Visit Resources
Scholastic’s Author Visit Kits
Celebrating International Dot Day All Year (First published, Saturday, September 13, 2014)
A new school year begins full of possibility and promise. It feels like a fresh page in an unwritten book, a chance to start over with optimism and excitement. We decided to dream big this year and try something innovative and just a little outside the box. Each year my library staff and I choose a theme for our school’s bulletin boards and add a little signage to liven up the college. This year we’re going all out. This is the year for us to make our mark.
After this past spring’s inspiring Peter Reynolds Author Study and Skype visit, I decided that all of my students could benefit from his powerful message to make a difference in their own way. Our theme for the year is “Make Your Mark – and See Where it Takes You!” I introduced the theme to my new students during freshman orientation when I read The Dot to a wonderfully engaged audience. We will be using The Dot as a framework for our college to think about the ways we make our mark, not just in our academic work, but in our personal and emotional lives. A graffiti wall has been set up for everyone to share their own thoughts on how they will make the most of their time this year. This was inspired by Monica Harris’s keynote address during the ILA Youth Services UnConference where she discussed participatory culture in libraries. Her library started an Idea Box where patrons could interact with the space that changed every month from chalk walls to maps to green screens. I may not have a room that I can use, but I do have a bulletin board. We all start somewhere...'
In addition to our Dot-themed bulletin boards (See how they resemble Vashti's framed picture?), I've also blanketed the walls of the college with Dot Day Precepts, inspired by Wonder by R. J. Palacio. Dot Day is the perfect time to think about the principles we live by - and create new ones.
Our celebration of creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking starts on International Dot Day this Monday. I have raided the art room (and my own craft nook) for materials of all shapes and sizes for students, faculty, and support staff to join together to create unique, beautiful dots. So much time in college is spent running from work to class to homework, so it’s vital to provide time to play and create. In the process of creating dots, I hope to get to know my students better and for them to get to know each other better. Dot Day should be a community-building experience where the divisions between teacher and student blur and we become just people.
I have also reached out to my faculty to create their own “Celebridots” to model creativity and risk taking. During our Skype visit with Peter, he discussed the importance of creating art along with our students to “create a culture that supports creativity and sharing ideas.” We have taken this challenge to heart as we work to make the library a safe place for all kinds of creative expression. During lunch every day this coming week I will provide programs for students to unleash their creativity from dot making to found poetry to cardboard challenges. At the end of the week, I hope to host a gallery of their artistic creations and work on a collaborative mural we can showcase in the library. I hope that students will share their interests and preferences during our programs so I can customize events especially for them. I want to provide all kinds of programs for the rest of the year to help students continue to make their mark. At the same time, I hope that students will rise to the occasion and take the initiative to offer programs based on what they know. I want to switch the expected roles and let them be the teachers. We’re going to spend the year creating and learning from each other.
I recognize that I have absolutely no control on how our ambitious plans will go. Unlike a regularly scheduled class, our Dot Day events are completely voluntary, and take place during lunch. But Dot Day is about planting seeds, about trying new, frightening ventures – and signing our names to them. And no matter the result, if one student is inspired to take chances of her own, then we have made our mark.
This is my ALA Annual 2014 Dot. I've been trying to find a way to express the joy of my experience. Words failed. But I think a dot better shows the whirlwind wonder of this summer's conference.
Creating Dots & Building Community (Dot Day 2014) (First published Wednesday, October 15, 2014)
I dreamed big for our Dot Day celebrations, hoping that faculty would provide Celebridots, students would participate in our Dot Day celebrations, and our community would begin to connect. At the college the library is the only communal space where students can hang out, eat lunch, and study. Since its foundations are pretty old school, it was my goal to show that the library offers more than just books (don’t get me wrong, I like books), research assistance, and studying space. I wanted to transform the library into a place where people can create and play and make things. I wanted to bring a little magic into the stacks.
I rearranged the library from rows into combined tables, covered them with butcher board paper, and provided a cornucopia of art supplies. While our Dot Day programs were scheduled for 12:30pm each day, students and faculty trickled into the library all day to use the art supplies and create dots. Each time I regaled them with my “Make your Mark” shpiel and urged them to share their ideas for ways to make our mark as a community. I read The Dot several times to the college students, which amused me to no end. I’d read The Dot all day if they let me. While I created my own dot alongside them, I also had a chance to observe them and see how they engaged with each other. Any divisions between freshmen and seniors melted away in the face of watercolors and glitter. (Honestly, who can be apathetic in the face of glitter?) While we were creating dots, we were building a community. Students shared stories from their summer break, discussed their expectations for this semester, and found common ground. Throughout the week, I challenged my students’ and faculty schemas about being creative. So many students claimed that they were not creative, but when prompted, they expressed outside the box and critical thinking. Something happens to us as we grow up that makes us stop identifying as artists and creators, something that is a defense mechanism to avoid being vulnerable. When my students created dots this week, they rejected self-doubt and embraced the freedom in getting messy and trying new things. We can all be creative in our own way. The arts are one way – but they’re not the only way. Making dots was a symbol for all the ways we can be innovative and express ourselves.
Like Vashti, I wanted my students to recognize that their creations are notable and worthy of being shared. With this in mind, I rearranged the library into a new kind of space, from an art room into a gallery. I displayed the dots with the honor they deserved on golden tables that showcased the variety of styles and interpretations. The first dot urged people to “Start small. End big” and the final dot said “the journey begins,” which I hope expressed the message that this is just the beginning. I also created a display of “Celebridots,” dots created by our faculty and staff. We ask our students to share their opinions and writing in class, to push themselves beyond their expectations, so I truly believe that teachers need to model this kind of bravery and push themselves outside of their comfort zones. By showcasing the faculty’s dots, my students could see that we are all learning together. Faculty across the disciplines shared their thoughts about making their mark and put their own distinct spin on the theme. One faculty member even created a 3-dimensional “Dot Product,” based on that famous opening passage from A Tale of Two Cities and the properties therein. Yes, math is creative and how wonderful for her to help our students think about math in new ways!
I also placed a blank canvas in the middle of the room and asked people to each add a dot to create a unique, collaborative piece of art. As each person added their mark, the image revealed itself as a solar system of creativity. I will be displaying this painting in the library throughout the year as a testament of our collaboration.
Looking back at these experiences, I know we have a foundation for an incredible year of making our mark. One of my students remarked that “our library looks amazing and it's because of the compilation of all of our unique work. Thank you for taking the time to create non-academic, stress-free, and fun activities to enhance our experience.” Comments like these inspire me to provide more opportunities for self-expression in the library. We will have programs that help students learn to listen and share, see the wonder in ordinary things, find ways to manage stress, and know that they can make their mark in extraordinary ways.
Dot Day is just the beginning.