Beyer, R. (2013). Little Fish, A memoir from a different kind of year. San Francisco, CA: Zest Books.

Ramsey Beyer has created a lovely graphic novel based on her first year away from home at art school.  She included lists she had made that year in her journal in the book. She delineates the actual journal pages she wrote with notebook paper.  Ramsey grew up in a small town and was fairly well off but she was anxious to begin a new life in a big city.  There she meets a small group of friends that talk about in-depth about politics and issues she had not really considered before moving to college.   She has a love for art and punk music, which navigates her choices sometimes.  She discovers her first love and journals about her feelings.  Her book is filled with lists from everything that she is experiencing and different forms of drawing and included in the graphic novel.

Little Fish is well written and enjoyable to read with simple clear drawing. It was on 2014 Outstanding Book for the College Bound and Lifelong Learner list. Beyer easily conveys the emotions and experiences that are familiar with moving away for the first time.  The book is a similar reflection of the first year of college and the wanting to go somewhere bigger but afraid life will be different. I found the book completely relatable to students and adults as well.  I wanted to share it with my daughter and reflect on it with my sister.

Beyer has a website with various points of interest but one link has her self-publishing book which tells the story of her next year at everydaypants.com .  Interviews with Ramsey Beyer tells what happened with the people mentioned in her books.   Classroom ideas include creating artist journals for a semester with the thought of producing a memoir of their own.  Students would be able to choose what medium that they will use in their artist journals. Also, having students create a videos of books or other artistic forms of their own memoirs.

 Training Wheels (2005) - Stop-Motion, Hand Sewn by Ramsey Beyer