It is important for children to realize that imagination is the power that feeds our appreciation of the past, our creative use of the present moment, and our dreams for the future. It is the expression of our creativity and makes it possible for us to feel, see, know, and appreciate new things.
Christopher Myers has exhibited his work at MoMA PS1, the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the Goethe Institute in Ghana. His illustrations for Harlem, written by his father, Walter Dean Myers, were awarded a Caldecott Honor and a Coretta Scott King Honor.
In this bold children's picture book, he has created black and white illustrations in a sketchbook demonstrating what an artist can do with a simple pen. He sets the stage by admitting "Sometimes I feel small when I see those rich and famous people." But then he remembers that he has a pen:
"My pen makes giants of old men
who have seen better days,
Then my pen puts these giants
in the warm sweet hands
of the smallest girl."
Myers celebrates the inventive, uplifting, magical, and wild things that the pen can do from being "as smart as a snowflake" and "as simple as raindrop." The author would love to see a million pens creating words, images, and worlds to bring about change, justice, and peace. This picture book has been designed for children ages 3 through 5.
