Peter H. Reynolds ‘83, the acclaimed author, illustrator and entrepreneur whose works including The Dot, The Word Collector and Say Something!, have inspired children of all ages with their messages of authentic learning, creativity, bravery, empathy, and courageous self-expression, returned to campus this spring to inspire students of all ages to embrace their creative sides.
Reynolds, who is also the illustrator of the best-selling I Am series by Susan Verde, and the Judy Moody series by Megan McDonald, delighted students and teachers at McKay Elementary School before engaging a full house in the main lounge of Hammond Hall during his residency in March. President Hodge moderated the discussion in Hammond Hall.
“This is home for me,” said Reynolds, who first visited campus in 1978 when his twin brother Paul was looking at colleges. Reynolds loved to draw and animate even in those days, and when he toured campus and met Professor Lee DeNike in the Communications Media Department, he knew he’d found his fit.
“I fell in love with this place,” Reynolds said. “Sometimes you just know you’re in the right spot. I made my home here and I was a kid in a candy shop.”
Coming from a large family who had only been in the U.S. for 10 years, finances were always a pressure, he said. “My choices were economic,” he said. “That’s why I was so thrilled I ended up at Fitchburg State. You get what you put into it. If you lean into it, there’s so much potential and so many great educators here, you just have to ask them for help and they will give it to you.”
Reynolds helped pay his way through school through freelance artistic jobs, and encourages his audiences to seize the power of their latent talents. Too often, he said, creative expression is tamped down.
“All of you probably started out in kindergarten and you grabbed a crayon,” he told his audience. “Right around 4th grade kids decide, ‘I’m creative’ or ‘I’m not creative.’ By 7th grade, they’re usually pointing to ‘the class artist.’ They’ve given up. I made a promise to myself early on that I would make a drawing every day. I ended up making two drawings a day, 10 drawings, 20 drawings. My mission is to help people never put that pencil down.”
Reynolds has made powerful use of his pencil, with millions of books in print. He co-founded the multimedia production company FableVision Studios, which works with broadcasters, publishers, nonprofits, research groups, and museums, including PBS, The Jim Henson Company, Nick Jr., Smithsonian, MIT, and National Geographic Society. “At FableVision, our job is to move this world to a better place,” he said. “This world actually needs passionate people who want to change the world and make it a better place.”
We need to tell positive stories. We have to amp up love and kindness, and we can do that through art and teaching.
With his brother, Paul, he co-founded the Reynolds Center for Teaching, Learning, and Creativity, and runs the children’s book, toy and creativity store The Blue Bunny, which has been in operation for more than 20 years.
Creativity and expression are the through-lines to all his pursuits, and an unrelenting optimism.
“I am optimistic, to the point of being annoying,” Reynolds said. “Right now, people are feeling kind of ground down, but I’ve been through a couple of these times in history. You know what? You have a choice. You can dwell in it or you can lift yourself up and say ‘I’m going to fly over this.’ I am certain they are going to be better, and we’re going to do it together. We need to tell positive stories. Hate is much louder than love. Kindness is very quiet and very gentle. We have to amp up love and kindness, and we can do that through art and teaching. We have to rally.”
Reynolds took time to meet with every audience member who lined up after his presentation in Hammond Hall, talking about their dreams and aspirations, and fostering connections with others in his network who can help them take their next steps.
He brought that same energy to his classroom visits with students at McKay Elementary School. “My stories are for all ages, but kids have a special place in my heart," said Reynolds, himself a father and grandfather. “They have so much creative potential, but it needs to be protected, nurtured and developed early on to give them the very best chance at future success. My deep hope is that my stories will help all these kids to be brave enough to be themselves, and to navigate their full potential.”