Dot! Scribble! Go!

K-Gr 2–Not for the first time, Tullet pulls readers in and encourages them to interact with the book. It begins with a collection of “dots, lines, smudges, and scribbles” in black and white. Once readers touch them, they have a “drawing hand!” Then they can use their magic hand to (pretend to) add red, blue, and yellow dots of various sizes on the page to create pictures. They might make a “dance of dots” or a flower. The images become more complex as readers are invited to imagine adding lines and scribbles. Tullet’s next illustration then reflects what might have been drawn if readers were really painting. Rather than a flower, the final picture might be a bird, a car, or a rocket. The pictures can be placed together to create a scene. Each page requiring interaction includes a small palette in the upper-left corner with spots of red, yellow, and blue. The progression from black and white to color, and from simple dots to lines and grids allows readers to see how images are built from a combination of elements.