My trip to Mexico to say “gracias” to the Ministry of Education for buying 160,000 copies of my books Ish and The Dot was terrific. Public schools in Mexico are incredibly challenged, but their government is doing some ishful thinking on how to improve education there. I am planning on returning to work more closely with schools, the Ministry, and some of my good friends there to see what can be done to help move things forward.

By the way, for those of you interested in Spanish versions of The Dot and Ish, titled "El Punto” and “Casi”, you can purchase autographed copies from The Blue Bunny, my book and creativity shop in my hometown of Dedham. Either call, stop by, or email the store to learn more.

It's been very inspiring for me to see my books and their messages reaching so many children across the country, and around the world, regardless of age, border, or barrier. Besides the many world languages The Dot and Ish have now been published in, I'm excited to announce that The Dot is now available in Braille as well!

I was honored to be asked by dynamo-educator and president of Louisiana Association of Computer Using Educators, Sheryl Abshire, to come share some “ishful thinking and inspiration” with educators who have been trying to rebuild after the devastation to their state. I was impressed with the energy and creative thinking already happening. Keep your eye on what is going on in Louisiana. Some of the best thinking comes from challenged journeys.

While there, I was privileged to be invited to Renaissance Village (a name that conjures up a luxury condo complex, not a FEMA camp of 3000 refugees). Tommy Cowser, director of the soon-to- be built charter school, took me and my fellow FableVision colleagues on a tour of the trailer city, the make- shift library and temporary school. We entered a big tent and an unforgettable evening unfolded. Children and their families gathered to share song and stories. My films “The Dot” and ”Ish” were shown and I followed it up with an interactive talk which ended up in a big community collaborative drawing! I also met David Ruffin, who was visiting from The Children’s Defense Fund in D.C. He’s an ishful thinker and is part of a great mission.

Here’s one of many ideas I have heard from educators sharing how they are using my books in their classrooms or organizations. A teacher who wanted to try something a little different for their school auction had each student in her class paint and sign a dot on a 3” by 3” piece of water color paper. She then assembled them all together and framed them all in a swirly gold frame! Lots of variations on this theme for classrooms, workplaces, and families. Have fun!