On Monday 15th September, I was delighted to give a screen-free assembly at Ledbury Primary School to celebrate International Dot Day. I wore my dotty dress for the occasion, which I found in a local charity shop (it was originally from Boden, don’t you know, AND it has pockets).
I took a bag with me, which I had received as a gift from Hayden and the Gardiner family when he moved on from my reception class at Ledbury Primary School in July 2022. In my bag, I carried a selection of books, including a poetry book, a picturebook and a children’s hymn book.
At the beginning of the Ledbury Primary School assembly, I showed the children my new poetry collection, ‘Blue Jelly and Strawberries’ by Attie Lime and Kate Sheppard, which I bought in the summer holidays from our local bookshop. After a shout out to Ledbury Books and my friend, Lindsay, I read Attie Lime’s ‘I love books’ – with GUSTO!
After the poem, I told the 12 classes in front of me that I had been hearing rumours about them. I told them that people had been telling me things about them – not good things…
“Kids today! They don’t care about books! All they care about are screens, screens, screens!”
“Kids today! They’ve got no imagination! All they think about is what they’ve seen on screens!”
“Kids today! They’re rude and disrespectful! They don’t listen! They can’t sit still!”
After a dramatic pause, I told the children sitting in front of me, still and quiet (and maybe a little stunned by this crazy woman in her dotty dress), that their behaviour had already proved that last rumour wrong.
I took ‘The Dot’ out of my bag and encouraged them to use their imagination as I read the picturebook to them all. Although they weren’t able to see the pictures, I encouraged the children to listen the words I read from the text and imagine the illustrations drawn on the book’s pages.
‘The Dot’ by Peter H. Reynolds is the inspiration behind International Dot Day (15th September was its publication date). A line in the book was also the inspiration behind me creating and posting videos of picturebooks on my ‘Read with Julia’ YouTube channel (I forgot to tell the children that – and I forgot to tell them about my YouTube channel!).
My copy of Peter H. Reynolds’ picturebook has been well-loved. It lost its front page before it was withdrawn from Swansea Libraries, but my dear friend, Lizzie McAteer found the book and gave it a new life when she passed it onto me about 10 years ago. Over the past decade, I have shared the book with countless children and young people. Most recently, I enjoyed sharing it with h.Artists, including Jon and Sarah Williams from Eastnor Pottery, during this year’s Herefordshire Art Week. If you’ve never read ‘The Dot’, I’ll share a video at the end where Peter H. Reynolds, the author and illustrator, shares the inspiration behind his story.
I read my copy of Peter H. Reynold’s ‘The Dot’ to the Ledbury Primary School assembly from beginning to end, acting out the part of Vashti. I was impressed by the children’s focus and their level of concentration and engagement. I highlighted the key statement from the story (the statement I use as my header on my social media channels – and this website):
‘ “Make a mark and see where it takes you,” smiled the teacher. ‘
With a smile, I encouraged everyone listening to do the same.
Before the children left the hall, I shared my sincere belief that each and every one of them – from the youngest to the oldest – had been created by God and given the gift of an imagination. I told them I was praying that they would use their gift for good (and I still am).
Finally, I gave a mini history lesson and introduced the children to a song that had been sung in their school hall many years ago. I sang them the chorus (unintentionally changing key halfway through, but it’s too late to worry about that now):
‘All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.’
Mrs C. F. Alexander
Thank you, Ledbury Primary School!
It was good to see you all again.
Here’s Peter introducing ‘The Dot’ and sharing his inspiration:
Read with Julia 