Theo loved drawing and coloring from the moment he could hold a crayon. And his bedroom walls were papered with creations straight out of his wild imagination. Just about every other day he’d ask his mom or dad to get him some more drawing paper, crayons, and pencils.

His parents chose to encourage his drawing and coloring.

So, more often than not, they’d be sure to provide Theo with his supplies. After all, since it obviously wasn’t a passing phase, they knew the supplies could help train him up in the way he should go. Of course, they knew they’d have to show Theo how to stay within a budget and make his supplies last. Thankfully he understood that his mom and dad loved him. So, he never whined when they had to say no. Which wasn’t often.

Early one sunny Saturday morning, Theo showed his latest art to his tech-savvy older sister, Lena.

“Hey, Lena. Check it out. What do you think of my drawing of this city built into a mountain side? Pretty cool, huh?” And he handed her the paper. Lena look up from her iPad and sort of nodded, “Uh-huh.”

“You didn’t even really look. C’mon. I’d like to know what you think,” Theo pleaded.

So, Lena knew that tone in his voice. And she knew he wouldn’t let up until she really looked at his drawing.

“OK, give it here,” she said.

And she saw it was really good. She liked it. Yeah, Theo was most definitely good at drawing and coloring.

But then, Lena had an idea.

“Hey, you know what? You should try something really different. And I think you’ll like it a lot. Wanna know what it is?”

“Uh, yeah. I guess so. What is it?” Theo asked.

And Lena showed him a drawing and coloring app on her iPad.

“Oh, yuck,” he said. “I don’t wanna draw on some slick screen with a fake pencil.”

But Lena showed him a screen cover she used when she took notes for school. And it made the slick surface of the iPad screen feel more like paper.

“Here. Feel it,” she insisted.

At first, Theo thought it just felt weird. Not at all like the texture of his sketch paper. But then Lena handed him her digital pencil and let him try it out. After just a few stroked he started to get the hang of it. Then Lena showed him how he could work with layers, tons of digital brushes, and colors that never ran out.

Theo was hooked.

So, I’m sure you can guess what he asked his parents for next. Right? Yep. His own iPad. But they worked out a deal with him to be sure he eventually paid for it himself. That way he’d appreciate the value of ownership.

Once he got his hands on his own iPad, it almost became a part of him. Everywhere he went, the tablet was always with him. Because he didn’t want anything to stop him from drawing and coloring at a moment’s notice.

Then, Lena showed Theo where he could watch online lessons. And where he could learn even way more about the world of digital art. He soaked it up. And little by little he figured out more and more of the almost unlimited possibilities of creating art on a tablet. He loved how he could wipe out mistakes with a tap, blend colors and undo them if they weren’t right, and experiment without ever running out of paper.

And, sure, I could tell you more about the story of Theo and his digital art. But I’m sure you’d like to work on your own. Or, if you’re the parent or grandparent of kids like Theo, you’d like to be encouraging like his parents.

So, start ’em off right.

With a big bang at the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop. And I’ll let you in a little secret. I just added a book so big, so full of pages for drawing and coloring, that you’d have to spend a bunch of dough to get in a paperback. But if you’ve got access to an iPad, boy oh boy can you save a TON!

Go to the Rhyme and Reason Bookshop and look for the book with the long title and lots of colorful pictures. Click on that picture and you can download over 200 pages of drawing and coloring and rhymes. And forget about paying those crazy prices on that site named after a Brazilian river.

Stick with me and we’ll enjoy the pure river of water of Life.

Stay tuned,