Peter H. Reynolds, THE DOT

Summary

Totally Booked with Zibby: Peter H. Reynolds, THE DOT

Date: October 22, 2025
Host: Zibby Owens
Guest: Peter H. Reynolds

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Episode Overview

In this inspiring episode, Zibby Owens sits down with Peter H. Reynolds, renowned author and illustrator of “The Dot,” to delve into his extraordinary career, the philosophy behind his beloved works, and the global phenomenon that is International Dot Day. They explore creativity, community, the power of encouragement, and the impact of words—all wrapped up with Peter’s signature warmth and positivity.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Creative Drive and Partnership with His Twin

• Nonstop Creativity: Peter describes his mind as “popcorn… it’s popping in my head the whole time” (04:28).
  • Quote: “Anytime I'm having a conversation, just ideas are popping and I try to write them down so I don't forget.” —Peter ([04:28])
• Twin Synergy: Peter credits his active, purpose-driven life to his bond with his twin brother, Paul.
  • Quote: “If you plan on having a busy life, you should be born a twin.” —Peter ([04:53])
• Nonprofit Work: Together they run the Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning, and Creativity (Reynolds TLC), focusing on spreading creativity globally ([05:24]).

2. The Origin and Message of “The Dot”

• Real-Life Inspiration: The story was sparked by a first grader who told Peter, “I just can’t draw.” Shocked, Peter was motivated to create a story focused on building self-confidence in children ([06:39]).
  • Quote: “A first grader saying she can't draw… that like broke my heart…” —Peter ([06:46])
• The Story’s Arc: Vashti, guided by her teacher, transitions from believing she “can’t draw” to becoming a creative inspiration to others.
• Creativity Is for Everyone: The metaphor of the dot represents much more than art; it’s about taking risks, discovering gifts, and the ripple effect of encouragement.
  • Quote: “We can all be teachers and can encourage each other… the book really is about confidence and… much bigger than an art book.” —Peter ([09:34])

3. International Dot Day: A Global Movement

• Origin: Inspired by a classroom’s “birthday party” for “The Dot,” the celebration spread globally via word of mouth and now reaches over 190 countries ([11:07]).
  • Quote: “It kept snowballing like a dot, I guess—and it has now become International Dot Day.” —Peter ([12:15])
• Meaningful Impact: International Dot Day affirms for kids worldwide that they aren’t alone in valuing creativity and that small acts can add up to global change.
  • Quote: "Every dot created is a dot for peace… If we can connect all these little dots of peace that will make this planet… a more peaceful place." —Peter ([13:13])

4. The Evolution of “The Dot” Across Media

• Growth Beyond the Book: “The Dot” has inspired a musical, an animated film, and vast creative engagement.
  • Quote: “There’s a difference between reading a book and activating a book… teachers know how to hang on to that book…” —Peter ([18:55])

5. The Power (And Future) of Creating by Hand

• Concerns About AI: Peter expresses support for tech, but worries that reliance on AI may dim our impulse to create ourselves.
  • Quote: “One of our superpowers as humans is to imagine and not forget… I hope people still find [drawing/creating] to be a delightful, magical thing.” —Peter ([19:48])
• Writing for All Ages: Peter shares that though he’s known for picture books, he truly writes “for humans who need a little bit of inspiration” ([22:47]).

6. Collaborations & Bookstore Ownership

• Love for Teamwork: Peter has collaborated on about 80% of his 100+ published works, notably with Susan Verde (“I Am” series) ([21:31]).
  • Quote: “I just love helping other people tell their stories, encourage them…” —Peter ([22:47])
• The Blue Bunny Bookstore: For 22 years, Peter’s store in Dedham, MA has been a community fixture, supporting “grown up kids” and children alike ([21:51]).
  • Quote: “Our job is not to take people’s money… your number one goal is to make humans happy.” —Peter ([24:59])
  • Memorable Moment: Peter shares a story of trusting a customer who forgot her wallet, which ended with her returning, paying, and gifting them brownies ([25:30]).

7. The Importance of Community and Role Modelling

• Rooted in Family: Creativity, generosity, and civic engagement were built into Peter’s upbringing in a home full of books and creative “chaos.”
  • Quote: “Creativity is messy… I called it creative chaos.” —Peter ([28:29])
• Lessons for Parents: Peter advocates that modeling behaviors like reading and bravery are key for raising creative, resilient kids.
  • Quote: “If we want our kids to be creative, we have to show them what it looks like…” —Peter ([30:23])

8. New Work: “The Gift of Words”

• Sequel to “The Word Collector”: With returning character Jerome, this story highlights the power of positive words, especially in challenging times, using a festive theme where good words are garlanded on a holiday tree ([31:18]).
  • Quote: “Hate is a lot louder than love and kindness, so we kind of have to amp up the positive words.” —Peter ([33:27])

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Anytime I'm having a conversation, just ideas are popping and I try to write them down so I don't forget.” —Peter ([04:28])
• “If you plan on having a busy life, you should be born a twin.” —Peter ([04:53])
• “A first grader saying she can't draw… that like broke my heart…” —Peter ([06:46])
• “We can all be teachers and can encourage each other… the book really is about confidence.” —Peter ([09:34])
• “Every dot created is a dot for peace… If we can connect all these little dots of peace that will make this planet… a more peaceful place.” —Peter ([13:13])
• “There’s a difference between reading a book and activating a book…” —Peter ([18:55])
• “Our job is not to take people’s money… your number one goal is to make humans happy.” —Peter ([24:59])
• “If we want our kids to be creative, we have to show them what it looks like…” —Peter ([30:23])
• “Hate is a lot louder than love and kindness, so we kind of have to amp up the positive words.” —Peter ([33:27])
• Memorable moment: Peter’s bookstore story of trust and kindness ([25:30]).

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Key Timestamps

• [03:44] Introduction and Peter's creative process with his twin brother
• [06:39] The real-life story behind “The Dot”
• [11:07] Genesis of International Dot Day
• [13:13] The global reach and mission of Dot Day
• [18:21] The expanding legacy of “The Dot”
• [19:48] Thoughts on AI, technology, and creativity
• [21:31] On collaboration, Susan Verde, and the joy of picture books
• [21:51] The Blue Bunny Bookstore: philosophy and stories
• [28:29] The impact of Peter's upbringing on his values
• [30:23] Parenting by example
• [31:18] Introduction of “The Gift of Words”
• [33:27] The importance of positivity and kindness today

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Takeaways

• Creativity is universal and essential: Peter’s work serves as a heartfelt plea to nurture creativity in ourselves and others, regardless of age or skill.
• Encouragement is transformative: Small acts of support and belief can have lifelong, global impact.
• Community in a digital age: Bookstores, collaborative spaces, and events like International Dot Day offer tangible, irreplaceable connections.
• Intentional kindness matters: Whether through words, actions, or simply holding open a space for creativity, positivity is both contagious and necessary.

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Closing

Peter and Zibby wrap up with mutual admiration, invitations to each other's bookstores, and an open call for listeners to join in spreading positivity—both through Dot Day and in their own communities. The episode reaffirms that stories, creativity, and kindness can make the world a better place, one dot at a time.

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Transcript

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[Peter H. Reynolds]

It go i wish i would stop.

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[Zibby Owens]

Hi this is zibby owens and you're listening to totally booked with zibby formerly moms don't have time to read books in my daily show i interview today's latest best selling buzziest or underrated authors and story creators whose work i think is worth your time as a bookstore owner publisher author and obviously podcaster i get a comprehensive look at everything that's coming out and spend my time curating the best books so you don't have to stay in the know get insider insights and connect with guests like i do every single day for more information go to zibbymedia dot com and follow me on instagram ibbeowens peter h reynolds is the author and illustrator of the dot born in toronto canada with his twin brother paul author illustrator peter h reynolds is the new york times number one best selling creator of inspirational picture books for all ages including the globally acclaimed creatilage series the dot ish and sky color as well as the north star so few of me and playing from the heart his other acclaimed storybooks include happy dreamer saint say something our table love you by heart be you all we need is love and his newly released the gift of words with nearly eighty titles to his name reynolds is also the illustrator of the beloved judy moody and stink chapter book series written by megan mcdonald with over thirty two million copies published worldwide in twenty eight languages thirty years ago he founded boston based educational media company fable vision studios which creates positive storytelling mobile games and interactives his nonprofit reynolds center for teaching learning and creativity provides creativity programs to teachers and students and also oversees international dot day which by the way just passed the annual global celebration of creativity which has been celebrated by over thirty one million students teachers and librarians in one hundred ninety plus countries reynolds also founded the award winning indie bookshop the blue bunny in dedham massachusetts where he currently resides welcome peter thank you so much for coming on totally booked so thrilled to be.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

Talking to you today it is wonderful to connect the dots with you to be really excited to connect with you and i love your i love your beautiful bookshelf by the way oh thank.

[Zibby Owens]

You i appreciate it am i am i the only one i hope that you've used the connect the dots joke.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

On you were the first person that just popped into my head oh good.

[Zibby Owens]

I'M so glad i'm so glad to hear it peter you are so so accomplished as an author illustrator creator of the international date movement bookstore owner it's so exciting where to begin and you have a new book coming out gift.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

Of words that's right new book always.

[Zibby Owens]

Working on something you're just relentless do you have trouble sitting still is that the issue.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

Yeah i do my brain is just like the metaphor i use is popcorn it's popping in my head the whole time anytime i'm having a conversation if i'm looking at something just ideas are popping and i try to write them down so i don't forget.

[Zibby Owens]

Have any ideas popped in the past minute we've been talking many many okay.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

Many ideas popping but i have a twin brother paul and i always tell people that if you plan on having a busy life that you should be born a twin because you know you're born with that person right by your side and we are while we are very you know different people we're also there's so much of us that you know that are the same right there's there's a lot of i think the passion for making the world a better place we both share that we have since so day one so amazing and.

[Zibby Owens]

You you are doing your nonprofit together.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

Isn'T that right we are yes the reynolds center for teaching learning and creativity reynolds tlc you can check it out reynoldsclc dot org and see all the work that we're doing a lot of projects that we feel like the world needs like international day and you know there's so there's no client there's we have some lovely donors and support and grants and things that allow us to do things like international day keeping that website going and doing all the events that we do and we have we update the guide every year there's a lovely free guide that people can download on international day dot org and when you register you get a really lovely guide that compiles a lot of the wonderful ideas that have been popping up around the planet one hundred ninety countries last year participated and so every one of those countries they have their own way to celebrate dot day so maybe.

[Zibby Owens]

Back up and explain to people who have not read the book and don't know what we're talking about what is international dot day why did you start it tell me about the original idea.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

For the book sure well very early on back in the late nineties i had met the folks at kennelwood press and they really liked a book that i self published called the north star which was my philosophy about learning and becoming who you are meant to be and so they got a copy of that book and then they they said hey we have a manuscript that we think you would really like we hope you like it we really love your sensibilities and let's see what you could do with this so the title of that manuscript was judy moody was in a mood not a good mood a bad mood and of course the beginning of the judy moody series and i read the book and illustrated that one and subsequently twenty five years worth of judy moody and stink series but because of that connection they asked me what else are you working on and i said well i have these three stories about creativity and the dot ish and sky color and so over lunch they said we will take all three and so it's a trilogy about creativity so i call it the creatrilogy and in fact i've got it right here this is the creatrilogy and so it's the three books the dot ish and sky color but the dot started it off and it was inspired by a little girl who was in an art class that i was doing and i told all the kids just just warm up you can draw anything you want just it could be a flower rock ship whatever makes you happy just draw the little girl's drawing first grader and as i approach her to look at her artwork she covered her artwork and she wouldn't let me see it and at first i thought she was joking around but she was clearly in distress so i just i just quietly asked her i said you know what what what's the matter and very slowly she just looked at me and she said i just can't draw and that like broke my heart i'm like wow okay first grader saying she can't draw and then i'm thinking where did she how did how did that notion even enter her head and then i thought probably was a clumsy adult because adults often will say i can't draw i can't draw my way out of a paper bag i can't draw a straight line with the ruler i've heard them all and if you're saying that around kids kids are little sponges and you know they can they're like wow you know if my hero can't draw i guess that means i can't so the that whole i can't just bugs me to think that anybody would say that but especially children so i thought i am going to i am going to address this and the way that i the best tool i know is story and so i planted that seed i'm going to write a story to help this little girl and so i was in bed one night i was i like to read and i also like to jot in my journal at night and i fell asleep with my sharpie marker on the page that's as far as i got i was so t scared i woke up and i'm guessing about an hour later because this little dot had turned into a big big one i put my journal down turned off the light when i woke up the next day i climbed out of bed in there on the ground was my journal opened up to the page and there was a big dot there and i thought that's actually a pretty cool looking dot so i took the mark and i wrote the dot by peter h runnels and that was the the next step and i basically connected i thought to myself at one point i'm seeing this dot as a mistake and then in the light of day i reframed it and thought this is a great mark this is a great dot and so that's where i picked up my pen and i started imagining my story the way i write is i imagine i make a movie in my head and i had this little film in my head this little girl in art class and she's really frustrated and fortunately she has a wonderful teacher who comes in and says just make a mark and and see where it takes you and vashti grabs the marker and she jabs the paper and leaves one little dot behind and her teacher takes a look at it and hands it back to her and says please sign it and so vashti is like well i can't draw but i you know i couldn't sign my name so she signs her name v a s h d i vashti stomps out of class goes home the next week when she comes into class hanging above her teacher's desk is her little dot all framed in swirly gold and vashti looks at it and you would think she'd be happy but she's she's actually she said i could make a better dot than that and that's the the rest of the story is seeing her blossom and bloom now that she has the confidence to to create and at the end of the book she inspires a little boy who's struggling as well and so she was inspired by her teacher but we can we all can be teachers and can encourage each other children can do it for each other adults can do it for each other adults can do it for kids so the book really is about confidence and the metaphor happens to be art and a little dot but it's much bigger than an art book and i love art teachers i love what they do with this book but i also love that classroom teachers have figured out that this is a great tool to get kids understanding what their gifts are gaining confidence to share their ideas you know taking risks also being kind to each other so it's a lot packed into that little book which i wrote twenty two years ago and along the way i met a lovely teacher named terry shea from trier iowa and he and his kids had fallen in love with the book and they were reading it one of the kids noticed that it said publication date was two thousand september fifteenth two thousand three so they asked mister shea is that the birthday of the book and so he said well ask don't ask me ask the author so they reached out to me and i thought how delightful that a publication day really is the day a baby the baby book is born and so so i said yeah it's it's the birthday so they had a celebration they had a birthday party for the dot and they made dots and they made frames and they signed their work and they had dot food and dot clothes and a lot of fun they of course shared it on social media and terry's teacher friend said are you going to do it again next year so yes and so a couple hundred teachers heard about it and celebrated and then the next year a couple of thousand teachers so and it kept snowballing like a dot i guess and it has now become international dot day as i said one hundred and ninety countries last year participated and it's just phenomenal to see how much creativity is flowing around the world and this year i've been saying that every dot create is a dot for peace and that if we can connect all of these little dots of peace that this planet which happens to be a big blue dot will be a more peaceful place and i think it's encouraging for kids especially in challenging times to know like they're not alone that there are people on the other side of the planet who believe the same things that they do that creativity is important and helping each other is important too.

[Zibby Owens]

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[Zibby Owens]

I mean that is such an incredible story how does it make you feel seeing what's happened with i mean you've done so many other things but with this one thing like are you just.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

Blown away i'm completely blown away it's a it's a wonderful feeling that you know something that started you know a little a thought in my head and in this case it was an accidental thought it was that little dot left behind for it to have done what it has done and already it's it's growing as we speak and there's a musical now theatreworks usa created a musical of the dot ish and sky color called dot dot dot and they're just an animated film i think you can even on netflix i think you can say show me peter's peter h reynolds the dot and you could see it so it is amazing it is amazing and i sort of pinch myself and i also thank teachers for activating the book because that's you know there's a difference between reading a book and activating a book reading a book is i'm done next but teachers know how to like hang on to that book and say hey while we're while we're thinking about this we can dive in and ask the questions what's going on in the story have you ever felt that way and then also create something from that book some artifact and of course the dot it quote s pretty easy everyone can do it including adults i always remind adults like you can make a dot don't tell me you can't draw you can make a dot well.

[Zibby Owens]

I do think it speaks to the desire people have for creating itself and just needing just the littlest bit of encouragement is enough they just are craving.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

It i think i agree and i'm hoping that that craving continues my fear with ai and i'm a big fan of technology i think technology is wonderful doing amazing things ai is an amazing tool one thing it might unfortunately might do is give us less opportunity to create ourselves and if we hand that over to ai you know those skills will atrophy and your instinct to even pick up a pen and say i'm going to make a little drawing i'm going to make a little note it will disappear and over time i think we'll have lost one of our superpowers as humans is to is to imagine and then not forget right imagine yes don't forget and that don't forget right don't forget your brilliant ideas the best way i find is is a piece of paper and a pencil i mean i have technology you know i carry around my devices and i still love my paper i love seeing something emerge from my pencil or my my marker on a blank sheet of paper i hope that people still find that to be a delightful magical thing you know ten years from now twenty years from now you know we have to stay.

[Zibby Owens]

Tuned and find out god willing we're here to find out the results of this experiment oh my goodness where along the way doing all the books oh and i should say too that i have been following susan verde for so long she was one of the first guests ever on this podcast and you illustrated all those books and i have loved every one as they've come out so anyway i'm a huge fan of those but where along the way did you decide to open your own bookstore and tell me more about that well.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

First susan verde love susan we met at the southampton writers festival that i was teaching at and she was my teaching assistant and i was looking at everyone's work and then she's like am i allowed to show you my work and i'm like of course you are and so she had a little folder and i i read several poems that i just fell in love with and the first was the museum lovely poem called the museum about how art makes you feel she had me hook line and sick i'm like i i told her i said if anyone else i said number one this book number two if anyone else illustrates this book i will be very jealous and that was our first book together and then of course the im series and a book called you and me friends forever which is one of my faves but anyway so love susan and i love collaborating in general i probably i look at the hundred books that have my name on them and eighty percent are collaborations and you know i would actually make more money if i did the writing i can do both right and illustrate but i yeah the my track record so far is about twenty percent are mine writing and illustrating i think i i just love helping other people you know tell their stories encourage them to tell their stories and i and of course over the past twenty two years i have had a place to put my books i have a bookstore and so that we opened the blue bunny bookstore in dedham massachusetts my hometown twenty two years ago and it has been an absolute delight to to own a bookstore to get books into the hands of of kids and grown up kids too that's my name for for the kind of adults i like to hang out with are grown up kids some adults get very serious and i like the ones that are still having fun and i think reading and you know adults who love picture books are my kind of probably know i'm a big big fan of picture books for all ages and that's kind of the secret formula for my books is that i'm really writing for humans i'm not writing for a particular age it's like i'm just writing for humans who need a little bit of inspiration i love that.

[Zibby Owens]

As a bookstore owner have you seen anything's changing trend wise reading wise i know we talked about ai so we don't have to talk about that but with the advent of all the ebooks and everything like do you still feel like people are coming in sitting on the floor cross legged and just diving.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

In oh yeah yeah it's it's it's lovely it's almost like it's like a like a time machine you know like when people walk through the door of our bookshop they've gone back in time to a time where yeah curling up with a book was was what you did and we have tin ceilings and hardwood floors and a big red comfy couch and we have a cafe as well so and tell me about your bookstore where did how did that come.

[Zibby Owens]

To be i opened that two and a half years ago in santa monica i'd always wanted a bookstore and i really love curating like based on topic and emotion and i always putting out these lists and all of the stuff and i thought well what if i could somehow have each shelf be one of my recommended lists in a way so there's like motherhood malaise and here are the twelve books on that but also i feel like a bookstore is all about community i mean yes there's commerce but it's more about the events and the people and everything that happens.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

Inside the walls right right it's it's lovely that curation is so important because you know yes you can order i always tell people yes you can you can double click and you can have a book shipped to you of course i remind people that there's there's another company other than the big giant one that sells everything if you do need to order a book online bookshop dot org is a great not for profit that is helping independent bookstores we're a member of bookshop dot org and they do great work but if you have if you're lucky enough to have a local independently owned bookstore in your area go there and you know support that bookstore because at the end of the day we do need to we actually do need the money to to buy the books and pay our staff and pay the rent but for for i always tell my employees in my bookshop that your job is not to take people's money i said eventually you should probably take some take some money if they're willing to give it to us but your number one goal is to make humans happy and i'm like any question you don't have to ask me any question run anything by me just answer that question how how can i make this human happy and then you can kind of reverse engineer it it's like okay do you know the person left their wallet in their car you give them their coffee in their muffin and even you know i've given i actually someone came in on a sunday and we were this is back when we were closed on sundays but i popped in and he left the door unlocked and this woman comes racing in and she's running around the shop and she's grabbing stuff plunking it down on the counter and she's like do you give her up i'm like yes we gift wrap so i gift wrap everything and i put it in the bag and she's like i'm going to a going to a baby shower and i'm late and i can't believe i forgot blah blah blah and i'm like don't worry about it and then she reaches for her wallet she doesn't have it everything is wrapped a big bag probably over dollar one hundred worth of books and toys and so i just handed her the bag i said you go and enjoy your shower don't worry about it you can catch catch just on the flip side she was stunned absolutely stunned she's like really i'm like yes go go go to your party on monday on that monday the next day actually she i wasn't in the shop but the somebody from the shop called and said this lady dropped by with a tray of brownies and she paid her bill and she had brownies for all of us so so it's just lovely that you know and you can't get that online right you have to be in person so we love our customers we love the community and you know we do feel like we're helping preserve one of the really lovely things that we shouldn't lose as we're kind of squeezing through the portal of the future i always say right grab a few things that you don't want to leave behind and bookstores are one of those things we cannot leave those behind.

[Zibby Owens]

Where did this come from this instinct to make other people happy have you always been like that did something specifically.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

Make you happy being born was pretty awesome then turning and seeing i have a twin brother that was pretty awesome to be born with a twin growing up in a big family i would say mom and dad well dad was born in argentina mom was born in england we eventually made it to canada paula and i were born there then we came to the united states so we have five kids mom and dad so you know pretty noisy house but it was filled with books and joy my our dad mom and dad were both accountants but at nighttime my dad was busy in his wood shop making chairs and cabinets and but one of his requests from mom was to build bookshelves so you know mom would buy the books dad would build the bookshelves and so we lived in a house that you know people were making stuff and it was a little messy a little chaotic i think that's also kind of a good thing because creativity is messy that's why it probably doesn't square well with especially public education because public education is a system and it's in systems inherently don't like to be messy they don't like the messy bits so they kind of get chopped out so that's why like the first thing to go in schools when you know money gets tight the arts right music arts theater libraries that's all kind of messy because it doesn't right it's like we only have we have these you know these little silos we're going to teach science and math and as long as we have those textbooks we're all good right it's like no we're not all good we need all of that extra stuff so creativity is messy i'm glad that we grew up in a in a i called it creative chaos it's just a lot of stuff out my parents mom was also involved very civically engaged in scouting program and in all sorts of clubs in town and i think that also was sort of formational for us to realize that your extra time that you can use your energy to help the community so that was also kind of baked in very early.

[Zibby Owens]

Interesting that's great just the role model of parents can't be underrated right right.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

Well we like to say that if we want our kids to be creative we have to show them what it looks if we want them to be brave we have to show them what it looks like if we want them to be readers we have to show them what it looks like it would be good to show them a book in your house and show them that you like to read and be intentional about it if you see the kid on yourself grab a book and curl up on the couch you don't have to say look at me but they will notice that you actually enjoy this experience called reading a book one hundred.

[Zibby Owens]

Percent yes your new book is beautiful speaking of the love of reading and the love of words and the power power of words i love the the holiday tree decorated with the nicest words ever and even the image that you have in there of the newsstand with all the terrible words i feel that deeply yes the book gifted gifts so.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

There'S the actual version somewhere this is the the advanced reader copy so this is hot off the press hot off the press but yeah we're this is a sequel to the word collector so a lot of people out there probably know the word collector featuring jerome who loves loves loves words and he collects them the same way that people collect rocks or stamps he collects words and in that original story he at the end of the book he throws all of his word collections into the wind and i love reading that book to kids because they're like kind of stunned they're like what he spent all this time collecting and he he just threw his words into the wind of course you turn the page and there were kids in the valley below and they're all grabbing words from the air of course they have become they have become word collectors too and the last scene is him standing on the mountain looking rather pleased and jerome had no words to describe how happy that made him seeing his friends become word collectors so so this is the sequel he yeah it's the holiday season and he's out looking for positive words and as as you know we get busier and busier the holidays can be lovely but they can also be kind of frantic and people say things that you know aren't kind words and they and there's a lot of great commercial commercialism you know a lot of the words in this book you see right buy this buy that and save and as seen on tv and he also has a little dog that he has adopted a rescue dog named echo and there's a little sign it's just a subtle little detail but it says no dogs allowed yes yeah and so he goes back home and he realizes like actually this town needs some this town needs some positive words so he's got some and he brings them to the park and there's a bear tree and he decides to create garlands of these positive words and his friends and family join him in creating these garlands and and light up this tree with with positivity so and i think the times that we are in now which are very challenged we need more positive words and kind words i always say that hate is a lot louder than than love and kindness so we kind of have to amp amp up the the positive words well.

[Zibby Owens]

You are just a dose of goodness a positivity infusion and it is so lovely to meet someone who is so just who keeps everybody else in mind so much and that is a gift so thank you so much for coming on and good luck with all of your stuff and happy international dot day.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

And thank you thank you and good luck with your book i want to.

[Zibby Owens]

Come visit please do please do what's.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

The name of your bookshop it's called.

[Zibby Owens]

Zibby'S bookshop and if you ever want to do an event we would love to have you santa monica tell you.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

What we'll you come and do an event at the blue bunny bookstore all.

[Zibby Owens]

Right we'll do.

[Peter H. Reynolds]

And anyone listening if you're if you're in the boston area come and visit us in our little historic new england downtown dedham massachusetts and our studios tlc studios is right around the corner so that's our not for profit headquarters and you can learn more about what what we're up to and and join join us we're looking for kindred spirits who want to make the world a better place like you zibby so thank you thank you for what.

[Zibby Owens]

You do thank you so much thank you all right take care bye okay bye bye thank you for listening to totally booked with zibby formerly moms don't have time to read books if you loved the show tell a friend leave a review follow me on instagram iby owens and spread the word thanks so much oh and buy the books.

[Podcast Hosts (Joanna Coles and Michael Wolff)]

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[Peter H. Reynolds]

Acast powers the world's best podcasts here's a show that we recommend.

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[Peter H. Reynolds]

Coles and i'm michael wolff no other.

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