This week I have drawn a picture from a story about a violet.
I chose to draw the sunrise and the lamb. You could choose to do either the dog and the dark sky or the lamb. But whichever you decide to do, please start with your background colours and gradually add the tree, the flower and the animal.
Read the story yourself if you can. Younger children, please ask one of your parents to read it for you.
The Violet:
Once upon a time in a wood where the sun peeped through the branches there lived a violet, a very modest violet under a tree with big leaves. And the violet was able to look through an opening at the top of the tree. As she looked through this broad opening in the tree top the violet saw the blue sky. The little violet saw the blue sky for the first time on this morning, because she had only just blossomed.
Now the violet was frightened when she saw the blue sky — indeed she was overcome with fear, but she did not yet know why she felt such great fear. Then a dog ran by, not a good dog, a rather bad snappy dog. And the violet said to the dog:
“Tell me, what is that up there, that is blue like me?”
For the sky also was blue just as the violet was. And the dog in his wickedness said:
“Oh, that is a great giant violet like you and this great violet has grown so big that it can crush you.”
Then the violet was more frightened than ever, because she believed that the violet up in the sky had got so big so that it could crush her. And the violet folded her little petals together and did not want to look up to the great big violet any more, but hid herself under a big leaf which a puff of wind had just blown down from the tree. There she stayed all day long, hiding in her fear from the great big sky-violet.
When morning came the violet had not slept all night, for she had spent the night wondering what to think of the great blue sky-violet who was said to be coming to crush her. And every moment she was expecting the first blow to come. But it did not come.
In the morning the little violet crept out. She was not in the least tired, for all night long she had only been thinking (violets are tired when they sleep, they are not tired when they don't sleep!). The first thing that the little violet saw was the rising sun and the rosy dawn. And when the violet saw the rosy dawn she had no fear. It made her glad at heart and happy to see the colours of the dawn. As the dawn faded and the pale blue sky gradually began to appear once more, becoming bluer and bluer all the time, the little violet thought again of what the dog had said, that the sky was a great big violet which would come and crush her.
At that moment a lamb came by and the little violet again felt she must ask what that thing above her could be.
“What is that up there?”
asked the violet, and the lamb said,
“That is a great big violet, blue like yourself.”
Then the violet began to be afraid again and thought she would only hear from the lamb what the wicked dog had told her. But the lamb was good and gentle, and because he had such good gentle eyes, the violet asked again:
“Dear lamb, do tell me, will the great big violet up there come and crush me?”
“Oh no,” answered the lamb, “it will not crush you, that is a great big violet, and his love is much greater than your own love, even as he is much more blue than you are in your little blue form.”
And the violet understood at once that there was a great big violet who would not crush her, but who was so blue in order that he might have more love. She understood that the big violet would protect the little violet from everything in the world which might hurt her. The little violet felt so happy, because what she saw as blue in the great sky-violet appeared to her as the most beauteous and all encompassing love, which enveloped her from all sides. From now on the little violet looked up at to the skies all the time.
Don't forget to email me your pictures: drawing@newschoolcanterbury.co.uk I really look forward to seeing them.
From
Mrs May
