Draw Leonardo the Terrible Monster
From Kennedy Center: Lunch Doodles with Mo Willems · 2020
20 minK1st2nd3rdReading & Writing (ELA)
Summary
Episode 9 features Leonardo -- a monster who is absolutely terrible at being scary but great at being a friend. Mo walks through drawing Leonardo step-by-step, using the character as a way to talk about trying hard at something and still failing -- and why that's okay.
Viewer safety
All ages
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Teaching resources
Discussion questions
Discussion
- What makes something look scary in a drawing -- and what did Mo do to make Leonardo look friendly instead?
- Have you ever tried really hard at something and it didn't work out the way you planned? What happened?
- Leonardo becomes a great friend even though he's a terrible monster. What's something you're bad at that might actually be useful in a different situation?
Quick work-a-long
Vocabulary: monster, expression, contrast, effort.
Try it: Draw a "scary" monster, then make one small change to one part of its face so it suddenly looks silly or kind instead. What changed?