See What I'm Saying

Children's artwork can be a view into their soul. Myra Levick leads us to a better understanding of the emotions, thoughts and developmental growth of our children. This book helps parents, teachers and therapists expand their understanding of children on a unique level enabling them to be wonderful guides to our precious offspring. Dr. Renae Lapin, LMFT Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Author of: "School Days and the Divorce Maze" (release date: 12/07)

Dr. Levick takes the reader on a developmental journey with special emphasis on how the maturing child up to age twelve expresses meaning throguh drawing. The journey begins at about one-and-a-half-years to two years of age with mere scribbles, going on to navigate through a series of "stage/sequences" to manifestly meaningful pictures of people and objects. The period of adolescence, where the task is to shape order out of chaos, is also discussed, but the focus is mainly on the earlier years. The book is a tour de force of blending words and images, each reciprocally reinforcing the author's intended message. Both intellectual and emotional development are covered. There is a parralelism in the writing which offers a view of normal development as expressed in art and signs of delayed or disordered development, as well. The manifold pictorial illustrations that are provided drive home the message of the book. The prose is lucid and accessible to everyone, although the work is recommended in particular to parents, teachers, and caregivers. "See What I'm Saying" is also a book that can profit psychotherapists who practice through other modalities also. the reader will find the book illuminating and captivating. But one must take heed of Dr. Levick's professional and ethical comments to the effect that the layperson, meaning someone without art therapy training, must avoid making inferential diagnoses of pathology from the child's drawings. Further, even the art therapist must move cautiously, being sure to place the picture in the context of the child's overall life, taking into account physical, relational, and environmental considerations. Although I am not an art therapist, I have spent forty years in the mental health field as a professor, verbal psychoherapist, and educational administrator. I have had many art therapy colleagues. I believe Dr. Levick's book makes a unique contribution to the field of non-verbal communication through the medium of children's maturation as expressed in their developing art work. Hugh Rosen, D.S.W., Philadelphia, Pa., author of "Silent Battlefields: A Novel."

Dr. Levick's book is a wonderful addition in the field of knowledge about the drawings of children. Here, she has provided the reader with strategies for understanding how drawings are correlated to child development and the warning signals/graphic indicators that give cause for concern. Such information is important when helping children deal with emotional traumas/childhood conflicts. This is an invaluable resource for those in counseling, education, and healthcare, and others interested in leaning how children's art is a natural language.

This book is fantastic for understanding communication from children through their drawings. Dr. Levick has given us wonderful, colorful pictures of actual drawings by children and an understanding of why and how they are communicating in their pictures. It gives us a clear understanding of what to expect and when, a sequential guide to ciphering a child's inner world through his art. I was fascinated the degree to which these drawings have helped me understand children. As an arts educator, I have used this book in my arts methods for elementary school teachers. The students have really enjoyed learning all this from such as beautiful book. I most highly recommend it for teachers, parents, professionals and anyone who works with children.