Synopses & Reviews
Read Keri Smith's posts on the Penguin Blog A curious, engaging, and creative rethinking of what a book can be, from the creator of Wreck this Journal.
In this uniquely skewed look at the purpose and function of “a book,” Keri Smith offers an illustrated guide that asks readers to creatively examine all the different ways This Is Not a Book can be used. With intriguing prompts, readers will discover that the book can be:
A secret message—tear out a page, write a note on it for a stranger, and leave it in a public place.
A recording device—have everyone you contact today write their name in the book.
An instrument—create as many sounds as you can using the book, like flipping the pages fast or slapping the cover.
This Is Not a Book will engage readers by having them define everything a book can be by asking, “If it’s not a book, what is it then?”—with a kaleidoscope of possible answers.
Review
"No matter where you start or where you end, there's always something interesting to do...The book is an exploration into creativity."
—Buffalo News
Review
“Both daring and meditative,
How to Be an Explorer of the World is part Maira Kalman, part Wendy MacNaughton, part its very own kind of whimsy, delivering — beautifully — exactly what it says on the tin, with an invitation to be just a little bit more alive each day.”
—Brain Pickings
Review
"Keri Smith may well be the self-help guru this DIY generation deserves."
-Believer magazine
Review
andldquo;Drawing is Magic is like a workbook created by Willy Wonka . . . Hendrix is so entertaining and encouraging in his instructions that budding artists of any age will want to take the book to a nearby corner, pull out a favorite pen and start sketching.andrdquo;
Synopsis
The internationally bestselling phenomenon with over 7 million copies sold Paint, poke, create, destroy, and wreck--to create a journal as unique as you are
For anyone who's ever had trouble starting, keeping, or finishing a journal or sketchbook comes this expanded edition of Wreck This Journal, a subversive illustrated book that challenges readers to muster up their best mistake- and mess-making abilities to fill the pages of the book--or destroy them.
Through a series of creative and quirky prompts, acclaimed guerilla artist Keri Smith encourages journalers to engage in destructive acts--poking holes through pages, adding photos and defacing them, painting pages with coffee, coloring outside the lines, and more--in order to experience the true creative process. With Smith's unique sensibility, readers are introduced to a new way of art- and journal-making, discovering novel ways to escape the fear of the blank page and fully engage in the creative process.
To create is to destroy. Happy wrecking
Synopsis
"Not gonna lie, this is probably the coolest journal you'll ever see. . . . Wreck This Journal is here to inspire you." --Buzzfeed
The internationally bestselling phenomenon with more than 10 million copies sold--and an excellent holiday gift Paint, poke, create, destroy, and wreck--to create a journal as unique as you are
For anyone who's ever had trouble starting, keeping, or finishing a journal or sketchbook comes this expanded edition of Wreck This Journal, a subversive illustrated book that challenges readers to muster up their best mistake- and mess-making abilities to fill the pages of the book--or destroy them.
Through a series of creative and quirky prompts, acclaimed guerilla artist Keri Smith encourages journalers to engage in destructive acts--poking holes through pages, adding photos and defacing them, painting pages with coffee, coloring outside the lines, and more--in order to experience the true creative process. With Smith's unique sensibility, readers are introduced to a new way of art- and journal-making, discovering novel ways to escape the fear of the blank page and fully engage in the creative process.
To create is to destroy. Happy wrecking
Synopsis
From the author of Wreck This Journal, an interactive guide for exploring and documenting the art and science of everyday life.Artists and scientists analyze the world around them in surprisingly similar ways, by observing, collecting, documenting, analyzing, and comparing. In this captivating guided journal, readers are encouraged to explore their world as both artists and scientists.
The mission Smith proposes? ?To document and observe the world around you. As if you?ve never seen it before. Take notes. Collect things you find on your travels. Document findings. Notice patterns. Copy. Trace. Focus on one thing at a time. Record what you are drawn to.?
With a series of interactive prompts and a beautifully hand-illustrated two-color package, readers will enjoy exploring and discovering the world through this gorgeous book.
Synopsis
Your whole life you've been taught to avoid making a mess: Try to keep everything under control, color inside the lines, make it perfect, and at all costs, avoid contact with things that stain.
This book asks you to do the opposite of what you have been taught. Think of it as your own personal rumpus room. A place to let loose, to trash, to spew, to do the things you are not allowed to do in the "real world." It's time to make a mess.
The only three rules you'll find in this book:
1. Do not try to make something beautiful.
2. Do not think too much. (There is no "wrong.")
3. Continue under all circumstances.
Synopsis
From the author of Wreck This Journal, a collaborative creative journey where you complete the book
Dear Reader,
One dark and stormy night, author Keri Smith found some strange scattered pages abandoned in a park. She collected and assembled them, trying to solve the mystery of this unexpected discovery, and now she's passing the task on to you, her readers.
Your mission is to become the new author of this work. You will continue the research and provide the content. In order to complete the task, you will have to undergo some secret intelligence training, which is included in this volume. Since no one knows what lies ahead, please proceed with caution, but know...this book does not exist without you.
Yours truly,
Keri Smith
Synopsis
The international bestseller…
For anyone who's ever had trouble starting, keeping, or finishing a journal or sketchbook comes this expanded edition of Wreck This Journal, an illustrated book that features a subversive collection of prompts, asking readers to muster up their best mistake and mess-making abilities and to fill the pages of the book (or destroy them). Through a series of creatively and quirkily illustrated prompts, acclaimed artist Keri Smith encourages journalers to engage in "destructive" acts--poking holes through pages, adding photos and defacing them, painting pages with coffee, coloring outside the lines, and more--in order to experience the true creative process. With Smith's unique sensibility, readers are introduced to a new way of art and journal making, discovering novel ways to escape the fear of the blank page and fully engage in the creative process.
Synopsis
From the author of Wreck This Journal, an interactive guide for exploring and documenting the art and science of everyday life.Artists and scientists analyze the world around them in surprisingly similar ways, by observing, collecting, documenting, analyzing, and comparing. In this captivating guided journal, readers are encouraged to explore their world as both artists and scientists.
The mission Smith proposes? ?To document and observe the world around you. As if you?ve never seen it before. Take notes. Collect things you find on your travels. Document findings. Notice patterns. Copy. Trace. Focus on one thing at a time. Record what you are drawn to.?
With a series of interactive prompts and a beautifully hand-illustrated two-color package, readers will enjoy exploring and discovering the world through this gorgeous book.
Synopsis
Your whole life you've been taught to avoid making a mess: Try to keep everything under control, color inside the lines, make it perfect, and at all costs, avoid contact with things that stain.
This book asks you to do the opposite of what you have been taught. Think of it as your own personal rumpus room. A place to let loose, to trash, to spew, to do the things you are not allowed to do in the "real world." It's time to make a mess.
The only three rules you'll find in this book:
1. Do not try to make something beautiful.
2. Do not think too much. (There is no "wrong.")
3. Continue under all circumstances.
Synopsis
From the author of Wreck This Journal, a collaborative creative journey where you complete the book
Dear Reader,
One dark and stormy night, author Keri Smith found some strange scattered pages abandoned in a park. She collected and assembled them, trying to solve the mystery of this unexpected discovery, and now she's passing the task on to you, her readers.
Your mission is to become the new author of this work. You will continue the research and provide the content. In order to complete the task, you will have to undergo some secret intelligence training, which is included in this volume. Since no one knows what lies ahead, please proceed with caution, but know...this book does not exist without you.
Yours truly,
Keri Smith
Synopsis
A sketchbook is an essential tool for the growth of any aspiring artist, but its blank pages can be daunting to even the most motivated. Obsessed with perfection, many wind up treating their sketchbooks more like portfolios than playgrounds. In Drawing Is Magic, author John Hendrix teaches aspiring and advanced artists to find their unique visual voices and become creative daredevils. Through his freeing, offbeat exercises, drawers learn a sophisticated philosophy of creative thinkingandmdash;in a way that is totally accessible and fun.
About the Author
Keri Smith is a bestselling author, illustrator, and thinker. Her books demonstrate a 'learn by doing approach,' and are being used in school curriculums all over the world as a way of fostering non-traditional methods of exploration. She also teaches and conducts workshops based on her non-traditional techniques across North America. Her bestselling Wreck This Journal has sold more than 1 million copies worldwide. Her other books include: How to Be an Explorer of the World, Mess - A Manual of Accidents and Mistakes, and Finish This Book. She enjoys spending time with her husband, experimental musician Jefferson Pitcher, and two children Tilden and Ida.