Dear Reader,

As I was wandering bookstores this weekend, I was pretty excited to notice Mac Barnett's new book, Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children on the front page of the Indie Next flyer - listed as this month's "#1 Great Read" - and yes, I mean on the issue they publish for adult readers! I was excited because I have read this book - and in my opinion, it is one of the best declarations of what it means to hold a strong image of the child that I have ever encountered. That wasn't his intention - and so happening upon that kind of alignment - in a text written for a general audience - offers a bit of a nerdy thrill to those of us who work daily to try and communicate such ideas. He goes so far as to say, on page 12, "If you don't think children's books are real books, on some level you don't think children are real people." I love the idea of adults who regularly peruse the Indie Next list to help them choose a book for their book club or nightstand reading this sentence and thinking about it - hopefully together with others. I hope you'll go find it and share it, too.

Of course, publishing a piece like this is pretty much guaranteed to stir up controversy - and it has. He has managed to offend - possibly because of sentiments such as, "A lot of the children's books published are propaganda for adulthood. They're prosocial messages masquerading as stories, designed to promote good behavior, glorify grown-ups, and get kids to sleep on time. These books get praised for their educational value or positive moral messages, but they fail to provide any kind of real literacy experience for children. Instead, their value is to the adults who buy them and who find themselves flattered, and their rules reinforced, in the books' pages." Holding a strong image of the child requires us to recalibrate our assumptions - to ask new questions. Holding a little compassion for ourselves in the process makes it easier. And curiosity can smooth the path: What is a real literacy experience for children? How do I participate in promoting progaganda for adulthood and what might I do differently? What does it sound like to engage with children around moral issues rather than telling them what I believe and expecting them to follow?

If a group of adults who happen to be teachers were to get together to talk about this book (like we talk about texts each month in The Studio), I'd suggest that it be paired with a reading of the article I've shared below (see the Good Things section) Children's Inalienable Literacy Education Rights and the Science of Reading. I can say from much experience that the ideas that surface in a circle of curious, compassionate educators in dialogue are not ideas that you'll ever find in the scripts and scopes and sequences of curriculum that get so much focus during the work day. But they are the ideas we need to imagine change. And they are produced from the collaborations we need to find the courage we need to make that change.

Who might you reach out to this week to invite into collaboration and dialogue? What resources are you finding in the world that help you explore the inevitable gap between what you notice, what you value, and what you wonder?

Introducing Studio Camp 2026 in.dependence If DEPENDENCE involves: congruence, ecology, storytelling, role clarity, engagement, curiosity, listening, nurturing, and participation… How does exploring the relationships that sustain us encourage deeper journeys? Join us for camp!

Camp Directors We're thrilled to be partnering with Miriam Beloglovsky and Jessica Frazier, authors of Revisiting Journeys - we'll read and discuss their most recent work with them as the basis for much of camp this summer.

The Language of printmaking​ ​ ​What is camp without a project? ​ In July and August we'll be working with gel prints and creating a project intended to strengthen the value and practice of paying attention to ideas we care about. We'll explore the dependencies of art and language as we work with Miriam and Jessie to chronicle our parallel journey. Register for Camp!

WATCHING, LISTENING, READING

Good things:

My latest piece on Substack.

I really appreciated this research that has resulted in a frame for literacy education that prioritizes the rights of children. Worth a read - even better - worth a read with a community committed to dialogue and inquiry.

I enjoyed this workshop on finding ways to strengthen your art habit.

Here's a conversation with Maria Popova worth listening to.

So much good in this year's season of On Being.

I hadn't seen this interview with Greta Thunberg - but was glad I found it. Honestly, it's so good to hear her laugh.

Our friend, Jesús Oviedo, has a new article for Exchange. It's behind their paywall - a good time to remember that Studio members enjoy a 50% discount on their all access membership.

“It is time to document how society has created a disastrous gap in thinking about play, inquiry, innovation, equity, and social justice that directly impacts opportunities for children and their future. ”

— Miriam Beloglovsky and Jessica Frazier​

3950 NW St. Helens Rd. , Portland, OR 97210
​Unsubscribe · Preferences​