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AS SCHOOL STARTS, ONE MILLION TEACHERS & STUDENTS AROUND THE WORLD TO MAKE THEIR MARK ON SEPTEMBER 15th How One Childrens Book, THE DOT by Peter H. Reynolds, Is Inviting Children and Grown Up Children to Make Their Mark & Change the World
BOSTON, MA On September 15th, approximately a million children and adults around the globe are expected to celebrate International Dot Day a grass roots creativity & courage movement, which has generated support around the globe, from participants in all 50 U.S. states, on all seven continents, in 53 countries, and even on the International Space Station. Inspired by Boston-area author/illustrator Peter H. Reynolds classic storybook for all ages The Dot, International Dot Day inspires young and old to embrace the power of personal creativity to change the world. Its so exciting to see The Dot trigger this kind of worldwide movement especially in schools where creativity is too often squeezed out of the schedule, said Peter H. Reynolds, creative education champion and New York Times #1 best-selling author/illustrator of books about creativity and learning, including The North Star, The Museum, and his Creatrilogy series (The Dot, Ish, and Sky Color). Teachers know that its a great way to start off the school year and invite students to experience the incredible power of creativity to discover, express themselves, to problem-solve, to invent, to change the world in positive ways.. Published by Candewick Press, The Dot is the story of a perceptive and caring teacher who reaches a reluctant student who thinks she cant draw by encouraging her to trust in her own abilities and to be brave enough to just make a mark and see where it takes you. Exploring the themes of creativity, bravery and self-expression, The Dot has been translated into many languages, including Portuguese, Chinese, Korean, Hebrew, Spanish and even Braille. The animated film version, produced by Reynolds digital storytelling and educational media development firm FableVision and co-producer Scholastic, earned the Carnegie Medal of Excellence. International Dot Day began four years when Iowa teacher Terry Shay celebrated The Dots birthday with his class on September 15th, because the original publishing date of The Dot is September 15, 2003. Shay, a public school teacher for over two decades, notes: In The Dot, the teachers invitation to be creative becomes a breakthrough in confidence and
THE DOT by Peter H. Reynolds is the winner of the Irma S and James H Black Honor for Excellence in Children's Literature Award, as well as The Christopher Award.

courage for the student, igniting a journey of self-discovery and sharing. Every great teacher works for those transformational moments. International Dot Day has garnered attention in schools, libraries, and communities around the globe. Official

registrations to particpate in the event reached 17,500 in 2011 and in 2012 soared past the 850,000 mark. Dot
Day celebrations now take many forms; from art workshops where students make dots and sign them to animating dotinspired art/stories on the computer, from weeklong school-wide celebrations to a yearlong theme for a school district. Spearheaded by elementary school teacher librarian Matthew Winner in Ellicott City, MD., there is also an official Skype in the Classroom project (https://education.skype.com/users/34954) underway to connect the dots between classrooms around the globe using Skypes live streaming platform, Earlier this year, a copy of The Dot book was even rocketed into space by Canadian Astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield, serving at Commander aboard the International Space Station. Reynolds explains, Commander Hadfield snapped a few photos of The Dot book floating in the cupola of the space station. On the last day of his recent Boston visit, he handed me my book, which he had signed, noting that this copyhad made 2,500 trips around the big blue dot planet Earth. This well-traveled copy of The Dot has recently returned to
Stellar Celebration: THE DOT by Peter H. Reynolds floats in the cupola of the International Space Station Photo by ISS Commander Col. Chris Hadfield.

Earth, and will on display at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, MA on the actual Dot Day date of Saturday, September 15. Reynolds is being honored with a daylong, museum-wide celebration. . Reynolds will be presenting at 1 p.m., followed by a booksigning of his many books that celebrate creativity. Additional activities include story readings, screenings of the animated film versions of Reynolds' books The Dot, Ish, and Sky Color, and hands-on dotmaking in the art studio. The Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning & Creativity (ReynoldsTLC.org), Reynolds non-profit educational R&D and teacher retreat center, has taken on the program support for the worldwide Dot Day event. The organization has built and manages The Dot Club website (www.TheDotClub.org), which provides free registration for the event, along with a free downloadable Dot Day Educators Handbook, multi-lingual posters and an official participation certificate. Educational organizations around the globe have embraced the Dot Day movement, including National Art Educators Association, Association of International Schools in Africa, Japan Art Education Assoc., Arts/Learning, Anytime-Anywhere Learning Foundation, Computer-Using Educators (CUE), National Writing Project, and Reading Is Fundamental. International Dot Day partners include FableVision Studios, FableVision Learning, Candlewick Press, Discovery

Education Network, Angela Maiers and Choose2Matter, NYSCATE, colAR - Puteko Ltd., MassCUE, Kids Talk

Radio Los Angeles, as well as Skype in the Classroom, and the million people around the world who are expected

to make their mark on September 15.

Locally, there will be several exclusive events co-hosted with Peter H. Reynolds over the Dot Day weekend: Friday September 13th, 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at The Blue Bunny Bookstore, Dedham, MA. "Dot Day Bedtime Storytime co-hosted by the non-profit Catching Joy and the Blue Bunny. There will be a reading of The Dot and other books about "making your mark." Then children will make dot pictures and turn them into greeting cards to give to others. Special Dot-themed refreshments will also be served. Admission is free children encouraged to wear pajamas or dot-themed clothing. Saturday September 14th, 10:30 to 1:30 p.m. at The Blue Bunny Bookstore, Dedham, MA. The Dot 10th Anniversary Celebration! Celebrating the special 10th Anniversary edition of The Dot with a brand new, souvenir edition "Make your Mark" kit, which includes a copy of The Dot book, a blank book, and a set of watercolor pencils. While there, children and adults can add their mark to the Blue Bunnys Dot collaboration with Peter H. Reynolds who will be also be available for book signing & personalizing. Sunday September 15th - 1pm to 4pm. The Eric Carle Museum, Amherst MA. is honoring Peter H. Reynolds with a special Dot Day Celebration and celebration of The Dot books 10th Anniversary. More information: http://www.carlemuseum.org/ Website: www.thedotclub.org/dotday. Twitter: @DotClubConnect, #DotDay Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/InternationalDotDay.

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About Peter H. Reynolds

Peter H. Reynolds (www.peterhreynolds.com) is a NY Times best-selling author and illustrator, creativity advocate, and founder of FableVision Studios (www.fablevision.com), an award-winning educational multimedia development company producing for leading childrens media organizations such as PBS KIDS, Scholastic, and Jim Henson Company, as well as FableVision Learning, a K12 educational media & technology publisher based in Dedham, MA. Peter regularly presents and keynotes around the globe, championing off the path learning and everyday creativity, and inspiring children and grown up children to lead successful and meaningful lives. Reynolds string of honors includes a Doctorate of Humane Letters from his undergraduate alma mater, Fitchburg State University, the 2012 Champion of Arts Education Advocacy, and the AEP 2013 Visionary Award for his work to encourage people of all ages to discover their talents, strengths and voice and to be brave enough to use those gifts to make their mark on the world in a positive way. Peters book The Dot was named as one of the top 15 Greatest Books for Kids of all time by Scholastic Parent & Child magazine alongside Charlotte's Web by E.B. White and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Published in over 20 languages, Peter's books including The Dot, Ish, Sky Color, Rose's Garden, I'm Here, So Few of Me and The North Star inspire children and grown up children with his messages about authentic learning, creativity, bravery, empathy, and courageous self-expression. Peter also illustrated the best-selling Someday by Alison McGhee, and the Judy Moody series by Megan McDonald, which has sold over 20 million copies worldwide. Reynolds book Sky Color (Candlewick) is the third and final book in his Crea-trilogy series, which includes The Dot and Ish. To celebrate The Dots 10th anniversary, Candlewick Press has released a special The Dot: Make Your Mark! Kit, which includes a hardcover edition of The Dot, a set of watercolor pencils, and Reynolds personal favorite, The Blank Book. As Reynolds notes, "Blank books are symbols of what each of us is capable of creating, contributing, and sharing. They symbolize that each of us has an important story to tell, and that the best chapters are unwritten and just waiting to unfold."

About The Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning and Creativity Founded by internationally acclaimed authors/educators/creativity champions Peter and Paul Reynolds, the Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning and Creativity works with like-minded partners to develop and evaluate new media, tools, and

initiatives that foster and scale authentic, engaged learning. The Reynolds Center also offers workshops, retreats and professional development programs to nurture innovation and creativity in educators, school leaders, and their students.