Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis is basically the story of my boys in our backyard. The character in the story creates a new reality for the stick, and a parent-like voice reminds him “to be careful with that stick.” When my children stretch their creativity, it stretches mine too. Sometimes it is easier or safer to just play within the lines. But innovation, beauty, and art are made outside of the lines, when the stick is transforming into not-a-stick.

I like reading the story because it is the reminder I need to let my children learn to make something new out of the world. Adam Grant warns in his recent article, “How to Raise Creative Children,” that “creativity may be hard to nurture, but it’s easy to thwart.”  So for your sake and your children’s, remember to collect some “not-a-sticks” for a campfire tonight.