When young author Aspen faces writer’s block, her grandparents, GungGung and PohPoh, suggest she take a break and a trip to the Polka Dot Penguin Pottery store to paint unfinished pottery. This seems just the thing. But when Aspen looks at the blank egg she’s chosen, she feels a familiar frustration. “I think I have Pottery Block.” Then she accidentally drips paint onto the egg. She’s sure it’s ruined when her friend Olivia says, “You can only make a masterpiece if you’re willing to make a mess.” So Aspen adds more paint, and more, and soon the ideas are flowing from her brush to the egg. “This feels like writing, too—when you put down one word and—surprise!—more words follow.” Lenore Look explores the downs and ups of creativity in the energetic, observant voice of a young Korean American writer who turns out to be pretty good with a paintbrush, too. Yumi Heo’s colorful and playfully detailed illustrations take a creative turn with images that use the horizontal page spreads vertically, requiring the book to be held at a ninety-degree angle to read the narrative and follow the art. (Ages 4–8)

Aspen Colorado Kim Chee Lee likes writing stories about monkeys, elephants, and aliens, but these days writing hasn't been much fun. It's like her characters are on vacation. Her pages are blank and she's blocked. Luckily, her grandparents know that a trip to the local paint-your-own-pottery studio is exactly what she needs to feel creative again. Lenore Look's charming story and Yumi Heo's mixed-media naive style illustrations create a warm and childlike book for young artists and writers.