AGAIN!

Emily Gravett is one of my favourite illustrators and children's authors and today we discovered her wonderful website and a film of her drawing Cedric the dragon from one of our favourite Emily Gravett books, AGAIN!.

We had lots of fun watching this and drawing along with Emily Gravett, she has a wonderful style.

The whole time we were drawing together my son was saying things like "My wings are the best!" and "My dragon is much better than yours.".  I would always answer with I love your dragons, I love your drawings, they are so cool.  But when he said "Your's isn't very good" and I answered by telling him that it wasn't a very nice thing to say to someone about their drawing and that I was just trying my best and that's all that mattered, I realised that behind his bravado was insecurity with his own drawing.  He answered me by saying that my drawing was so much better than his and that is was not fair.

At so many different points in their lives it is clear to a child that they are inferior.  In stature, in abilities.  It is such an important thing to continue to make sure children feel their own strength and capacity to grow with each attempt at something and embrace every success.   I don't know how to get through this but I'm glad I know I now need to start to help him with these feelings.  Sometimes I wonder if drawing with them might not be the inspiration I had hoped it would be and maybe instead I should just try and draw more simple things at a comparative level to them.