Peter Reynolds

One of the exciting things about moving to Dedham is the Blue Bunny, an independent children's bookstore run by Peter Reynolds, a well-know author and illustrator.  We did not know much about Peter until we visited the store for the first time a few months ago.  We have since read two lovely stories by Mr. Reynolds: Rose's Garden and The Dot.  Both have such depth and charm.

Rose's Garden is about a young girl who will not lose faith in the garden that she plants (with seeds collected from her travels) to beautify the site of her future home (in a whimsical teapot!).  When seasons pass and nothing happens, Rose still will not lose faith.  Will her garden ever grow?  Find out in this lovely tale dedicated to Rose Kennedy, Rose's Garden.

The Dot speaks to me, a woman with little artistic skill who found herself in a beginning art class a few years back.  Young Vashti, like myself, finds herself at the end of her first art class with no marks on her paper.  Her teacher encourages her to just make a mark and sign the paper.  The following week Vashti finds her dot framed above her teacher's desk.  Convinced she can do better than a dot, she pours her heart and soul into creating a better dot.  This book is the first in a trilogy about creativity.  Next on our list is The North Star and Ish.