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 can't 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.