Kids Play is a fabulous book for anyone wanting to encourage and guide children's creativity. Artist and author Michele Cassou draws on years of experience leading children through her Point Zero painting process. In Point Zero painting, creating is for process, not product. There is no criticism and evaluation. Intuition and spontaneity fuel creative expression. In this book, she shares practical advice about how to set up an art studio in any size space, what supplies you will need to get started, how to talk to children about their work, and how to create a safe and inspiring environment that fosters a child's creativity. She speaks aptly about how damaging feedback can be to a child's spontaneous creativity and shares many wonderful anecdotes from years of "un-teaching" children.

"When children learn to listen to themselves through creativity, they also learn to think for themselves and trust their feelings. Intuition is a wise, strong, and authentic voice that guides children to trust and express themselves…Through the use of intuition, children become self-reliant; self-esteem and self-confidence develop, which enhance the way they respond to the world." --Michele Cassou

The story below is excerpted from Kids Play from the chapter "The Multiplying Volcano."

"Michele! What's the color of burning lava?" asked William loudly from across the studio. He was an outgoing boy, a quick-witted eight-year old who after three painting sessions had finally found inspiration and was now painting a red volcano with a dark, deep crater.

I ran to his side. "William, don't scream like that across the room! You are disturbing other painters. What do you think the color of burning lava could be?" I asked, returning the question for his own creativity to answer. Returning questions is a safe way to encourage children to look inside and explore ways to answer them.

"I thought it could be red and yellow like fire, but I am not sure because ashes come out of the volcano too."

"And what color could the ashes be?" I questioned, asking him again to find his own answer.

Without a pause he replied, "Brown and black!"

"So, you know what to do!" I happily commented.

It's interesting how often children ask for what they already know. They ask as a way to make sure they won't get into trouble if they listen to themselves. William put a big blob of red paint on a large brush and with large gestures painted burning lava shooting up to the sky. He was grinning with excitement the whole time.

"Michele, Michele!" exclaimed Sophie, a few minutes later, totally outraged. "Jennie is copying William's volcano!"

I looked into her eyes and said without a trace of emotion, "So what?"

"But… but… I thought… We shouldn't copy," insisted Sophie.

"Why not? You can use any image you want. Images belong to everyone. You can copy anything you like. Jennie liked the volcano and is now painting her very own. She is creating a new one for herself."

When Nicholas was copying because he had no other idea (see chapter 2), it was a very different kind of action. He did it just to get by, mechanically. Jennie, on other hand, was responding to her feelings and had a strong desire to paint a volcano. She painted it with such abandon. Seeing it must have awakened a feeling that was waiting for a long time. William's volcano had inspired her. She was truly exploring.

Puzzled, Sophie returned to her painting without another word.

Fifteen minutes later, oh! Surprise! A little volcano appeared in her painting. "Well done!" I thought, and I rejoiced at how fast she could drop a rule that didn't make any sense.

By the end of the class, six more volcanoes had erupted in my small painting studio, all of them with different shapes and colors. A burning sense of adventure and exploration had suddenly spread among the little painters.