The Dot by Peter Reynolds

This is a story inspired by the author’s experience as a teacher, seeing children’s lack of confidence in their artistic ability. The author was motivated to help children and adults to explore and discover their creativity – and to put an end to us saying, “I can’t draw!”  

In this story, Vashti doesn’t draw a picture in art class because she says, “I can’t draw.”  

Her teacher encourages her to make a mark on paper and shows her that a mark is the start of being an artist. 

Inspired by her teacher’s appreciation of her first piece of art, ‘The dot’, Vashti begins to experiment. She makes big dots, ones of different colours and even a dot without drawing a dot!  

Vashti passes on her newfound belief to a little boy who she finds admiring her pictures and who tells her that he can’t draw... and so the creativity continues.  

Read this story together, then see how many different dots, lines and squiggles you can make? And don’t forget to sign your art when you’re done. 

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