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Enriched with love from life

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With the love for children, Belgian painter Estelle Meens wants to “meet” their lovely souls through stories told by cute drawings. She has “met” and sketched many drawings of Vietnamese children in her first time visiting this country. Kindness and compassion – What made you come up with the idea of telling stories to children..

With the love for children, Belgian painter Estelle Meens wants to “meet” their lovely souls through stories told by cute drawings. She has “met” and sketched many drawings of Vietnamese children in her first time visiting this country.

Kindness and compassion

– What made you come up with the idea of telling stories to children through drawings?

– I have been drawing since I was little. I have made myself familiar with drawing papers and colors since childhood and have nurtured that passion. After finishing high school, I learned illustration art at Institut Saint-Luc Liège of Belgium. I used to dream of becoming an elementary school teacher and while learning studying illustration art, many teachers suggested that I become a painter. I was thinking that if I was to become a teacher, I would meet the children every day, but if I was to become a painter, I would think of the stories to tell them and would be able to “meet” them often, though indirectly … I became a painter for children just like that. In 2001, my first painting book for children was published and my other works have been introduced to the public since then. I have been painting and will continue to paint.

– What do you want to convey through your stories and drawings?

– I have published about 15 books for children. I want children to have kindness and compassion, and to be able to look at life with love and affection. I focus on such content in children’s stories through their relationships with friends, family, nature, etc. Though that’s not enough to change the world, I hope kindness and love are enriched for children right when they are still little and will have a positive effect on their perception when they grow up.

For example, one of my works that have been translated into Vietnamese, I am the boss, talks about a boy named Lucas who is selfish towards his friends and eventually left with no one to play with. He becomes sad and tells his mother and gets good advice which he uses to make peace with his friends. On “Mother’s Endless Day”, Maguerite loves her mother so much as she observes her and finds that her mother is like a fairy with the ability to control time because her day is endless and she never seems to be resting…

Source: The People’s Delegation