Beyond the Book: An Author Study with Hevre Tullet

S has been a longtime lover of literacy but somewhat reluctant with writing/drawing...until the end of his preschool year. It was then that he announced one morning, "Mommy, I am an artist! I like art!" Having been a reluctant reader myself who loved writing and art, I know how to be sneaky and thanks to amazing authors and illustrators like Hevre Tullet, it's possible to nurture and encourage all three of these areas in early readers (and adults). S and Y both love the books Press Here and Mix It Up and Tullet is an artist, children's author and illustrator behind several volumes of amazing works of art in literacy and graphics alike. Here are just a few of my favorite things about his work:

• His books are interactive, engaging children to get hands on (literally) with each page. The more ways in which early readers can engage with literacy, the more they will grow to love it.
• His books demonstrate the ability of visual design and illustrations to tell a story--a valuable asset to pre-readers who are still in the illustration/dictation phase of writing and reading.
• His books also demonstrate the ability of art to "tell a story," a valuable asset to budding artists!
• His illustrations and artwork show that art at all levels and all styles has value. Scribbles, circles, bright colors and simple shapes are beautiful, aesthetically pleasing and are just as much "real art" as representational art. This is particularly important for children to know, especially those drawn toward perfectionism and hesitance to write and draw.

Among S's birthday gifts this year was a very special one from his aunt, uncle and cousins, Hevre Tullet's book Doodle Cook. It is a recipe guide for playful "culinary" creations of doodles, scribbles, shapes and designs all served delightfully on plates depicted on each page. Young readers and artists are encouraged to abandon everything they know about the rules of not scribbling and not drawing or writing in books! Independent readers can follow the recipes and early/pre-readers can follow directions given the support of an older reader or adult. I have to say, I was just as excited to use the book as the kids! And since I have way too many commitment issues to allow myself or anyone else to color right in the book now, I decided to print off some place setting templates for us to use alongside it. You could also draw your own plates or even use white paper plates. We tested out our first "recipe" behind one of our local libraries this week--a Quick Circle Salad--and it was scrumptious!

It sparked an interest in more books by Hevre Tullet and luckily, we were in the very best place for that interest. So back into the library we went and checked out a few other additions to our own personal collection. Back at home, Y brought me our copy of Press Here. This kid loves buttons. All buttons. Your buttons. My buttons. So I set out a quick and simple Morning Work activity for the boys to create their own process art in the style of Press Here using dot stickers and do-a-dot markers in primary colors and a few black markers in varying tip sizes. I also set out a sheet of white paper for each of the boys. 

Y was the first to take interest in the setup. He was quite interested in the stickers and still needs a little help to get them "started" before he independently peels them off and sticks them down. He was very intentional in where he spaced each one, overlapping in some areas, not in others. And he was so incredibly amazed to see that his picture resembled one of the pages in Tullet's book! He felt so proud and confident. "Look! It's just like the book!" he shouted gleefully, again and again. 

Well, all of that excitement sparked S's interest. He began with the black markers (it's seriously his favorite "color" when it comes to artwork). I mentioned that it reminded me of the part in Press Here where the lights are turned off. S then used his artwork to dictate and tell a story. He placed four yellow dot stickers on the black page and brought it over for me to press each one. Then he flipped his paper around to the white side, added more dots for me to press and, with those, the lights went back off and the paper flipped again! We hung their work in our "Family Museum," the wall ascending our staircase.

I often believe that a great deal of S's hesitance with art and handwriting stems from his expectations that both must look a certain way. He's expressed that he doesn't like to write his name because his letters are still "big" and mine are "small." He used to ask me to draw representational art for him. Children are surrounded by adult print and representational art all day. They hear adults tell them not to "scribble" and to "do their best work." And then comes Hevre Tullet, an artist and author and illustrator who fills his pages with handwritten text in all sizes and colors and illustrations comprised of colorful scribbles, blobs and simple shapes. And his books? They're amazing! They're fun, they're funny, they are worth reading again and again and again. They are truly a gift to any lover of children's literacy and art, but the greatest gift of all is beyond the books--it is the sense of confidence and wonderment gifted to his young readers, budding artists and aspiring authors/illustrators. Here is someone who put their play to work!

Happy Playing!