The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, which has won awards, tells about the need for creative thinking in an era when everything is ready-to-consume.

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds, which has won awards, tells about the need for creative thinking in an era when everything is ready-to-consume. As a successful children's literature work, it presents a profound sense of meaning for adults as well: from everywhere else outside us, especially social networks, there is a dense flow of visual and auditory life. Clothes, food, holiday ... all our preferences are standardized and our reactions to the situation are the same. In this place where we have been away from ourselves and shrunk to the size of a "dot", the word of poet must be remembered: "The longest path is the inside of a human being". Reynolds' book, The Dot, reminds all adult readers that it is time to start their own story by ending this flow.

When adults have disappeared in all this flow, there is another point they missed: children who always observe and imitate them. We, ourselves, make our children ordinary; we ask them questions which have already certain answers. We want them to make the picture that is already in our minds, or make them believe that it's "talent" to copy what they see. As adults, they playact the little prince while we present the entire life as multiple-choice to them. We want them to see the gopher snakes swallowing elephants, instead of hats. The main character of The Dot, Vachti, wakes "lost" adults in this flow and shy children up. This is because, the most important obstacle for children to become brave and productive in their art lessons is their anxiety. At this point, we can say that Reynolds' story is a "courageous vaccine." The Dot first concentrates that painting is not to imitating the apparent and known things. Here, we must also remember the difference between "art and skill": painting is not a photograph; strangeness in the phrase "this is very realistic, just like a photo!" shows that we have a wrong perception on this topic. Praising copying things more worries children; "I cannot do it, it will not be the same, it will not resemble it". Children, who have those worries, hesitate to produce, just like Vachti! What makes The Dot successful and "courageous vaccination" is the exemplary behavior of the art teacher character in the narrative. Pablo Picasso says "Every child is an artist; the problem is how to stay as an artist when we grow up." Children have extremely creative products thanks to their great imagination during pre-schema periods, covering from four to seven years old. The Dot points “conceptual art" to the reader. When one visits an exhibition, s/he sees only a dot on canvas and s/he will try to simulate it to something else. First s/he will try to make sense by looking it closer. However, when conceptually considered, a dot is both an end and a beginning. Vachti begins the story of another artist as an inspiration to a child, who met Vachti and wants to be a painter like him. At this point, it is important not to forget that the readers also begin their own stories by taking inspiration from him, which is why the book is impressive.

One of the most important aspects of what makes The Dot special is that it presents a methodology to the parents, teachers and all the readers, who want to educate creative children and valuable artists: it is an inspiration for the teacher to see a polar bear caught in a snowstorm on white paper, which Vachti could not draw anything because of the fear of not being admired. The promise of "make a dot, let’s see where it will take you" is encouraging. The desire of Vachti to sign the shots that he draws shows his value to his student and his work. It also helps students feel valuable. It is trustworthy that he frames this signed painting and hang it behind the desk. It refers to the strength of the bond between Vachti and his teacher. With all these sophisticated details, The Dot contributes to the growth of more brave children.

Bibliography

Reynolds, P. H. Nokta. İstanbul: Altın Kitaplar, 2014.