Doris's Dinosaur

Reach for this book when your child feels like their unique way of doing things doesn't fit in with the group or when they are discouraged that their creative efforts aren't being noticed. Doris is a young artist whose abstract vision of a dinosaur is met with silence while her classmates receive praise for their realistic drawings. This story gently addresses the sting of being overlooked and the quiet loneliness of being misunderstood by peers and authority figures alike. Ideal for children ages 4 to 8, Rosemary Wells uses a school setting to explore self-confidence and the validation of personal identity. Parents will appreciate how the story moves from a place of isolation to a triumphant moment of discovery at an art museum. It is a wonderful tool for teaching children that there isn't just one right way to be creative and that their 'swirls and blobs' might actually be a masterpiece in the making.