Since the publication of the best-selling first edition of Drawing with Children in 1986, Monart Drawing Schools have expanded all over the country. Teachers are eager for the chance to learn the Monart Drawing Method, a practical, field-tested technique that assumes no prior knowledge of art or special talent. Mona developed the Monart Drawing Method after she observed what she felt was a state of visual illiteracy among children. She was shocked that even very young children were suffering from competitive and judgmental attitudes to the point of being unwilling to try, for fear of failure. Although she recognized the need for the symbolic representations that all children draw naturally, she noted that they did not know where to begin to draw the realistic illustrations they yearned to create. From this grew the Monart Drawing Method, which features a noncompetitive environment where children are free to explore independent expression while simultaneously learning how to observe all visual data through five basic elements of shape. The Method has instilled a sense of pride among the thousands of students who have overcome the `I cant draw` mindset and learned to create remarkable artwork. This latest edition of Drawing with Children includes a new sixteen-page full-color insert, hundreds of new illustrations, and two additional chapters explaining how to reach children with learning problems and how to incorporate drawing into teaching the basic subjects in an integrated school curriculum.
