Not in the House, Newton!
Not in the House, Newton!
By: Judith Heide Gilliland
Maybe you can tell from the picture, but this book is well loved. You can tell by the tattered dust jacket—the creases tell the story of a book that was read many times by little kids. It surprises me that the dust jacket still exists, actually. But I’m glad it does!
I’m not sure when we got this book. I remember Mom reading it to us, and I remember reading it to Josef.
This book is about a little boy who finds a red crayon outside, and he knows it is magical because of how red it is. When he asks his mother for some paper she gives him a whole box of it. He starts by drawing a ball—and it comes right off the page. He plays with it for a little while before drawing some other toys. Everything he draws comes to life. And everything he draws gets him into a little bit of trouble—his mother reminds him often that balls don’t belong in the house, racecars don’t belong in the house, and so on. (Hence the title.)
Growing up with artists for parents meant that I wanted to be an artist too, so I spent a lot of time studying different illustrations in books. I remember studying these illustrations and being jealous of Newton and his ability to draw so perfectly. I thought that if I could draw as well as him then my drawings would also come to life. Nevermind that I was five and the person drawing his creations was an adult and professional.
The last thing Newton draws is an airplane after taping together many pieces of paper. As expected, the plane comes to life and Newton climbs inside. He begins to fly. His mother comes to the door and sees what he’s doing, shocked. He tells her not to worry, that he wont fly it in the house and he flies away with his nifty crayon in pocket.
I loved this book as a kid because of the possibility. The imagination in this story is breathtaking for a kid—the idea that you can draw anything and that this will become real is enticing.
The mother in this story is supportive, but she also has rules about what is allowed in her house. I think it’s a good illustration of real life. She wants to encourage her child’s creativity but also wants to maintain a home. While Newton is drawing all of these crazy things, she is constantly cleaning.
The end for me is a little ambiguous now as an adult. He flies away. With the crayon. And it seems like there is a bit of finality in that action. But I think it’s meant to symbolize that drawing has become a form of escapism for him—which works for me as reading is also a form of escapism.
I still love this book and am glad that our copy has held up as well as it has. I can’t wait to read it to some of the kiddos in my life.
