Hold That Thought!
This is a story about the hatching and nurturing of an idea as it grows and evolves. With a gentle and inquiring soul, the protagonist, Finn, embraces an idea that is in near constant flux, giving it valuable attention, and believing it to be worthy of amazing things to come. The message is about believing in your inner voice, sharing your ideas, being inclusive of others, working together, and accepting change and growth in yourself and others.
Models resilience and a growth mindset | A diverse and inclusive school setting | Reflects themes of teamwork and bullying
Social-Emotional Learning: Belonging and Contributing; Teamwork and Cooperation;
Kindness Character Education: Self-Confidence; Perseverance; Flexibility
What does an idea look like?
Lynn’s illustrations are stunning. They took an ambiguous concept (the physical embodiment of an idea), and brought it to life in a dynamic, kinetic, flurry of energy on each page. I truly lucked out being paired with them!
There’s a first time for everything ;-)
This was the first time I changed the words to suit the images! When I saw Lynn’s final art for the book, I was blown away. It added another level to the story, and I edited some of the text to suit it.
It’s also the first time in a picture book that I have a secondary character undergo a personal transformation. In the book, the bully, Otis, grows emotionally when given the opportunity to change.
Meet the illustrator, Lynn!
LYNN SCURFIELD (she/they) is a mixed media illustrator who lives just outside of Toronto, Ontario, with her small, barky dog, Taro. Their work has been published by Google, The New York Times, The Walrus, The Atlantic, and The Globe & Mail. When they were young, Lynn had the idea of becoming an artist—and she’s glad they held on to that thought!