An intense artist
An analysis of Christina – “Colour my Boots”
Christina is a playful, neat and tidy cheetah cub whose fun-loving nature is overridden by her desire “to do everything perfectly”. The mess, mistakes and subsequent conflict almost destroy her friendships.
“Etching dance moves in the dirt” hints at Christina’s playfulness, but it is quickly offset as she sets very high standards. She “ties a perfect bow”, “places her paintbrushes evenly” and “flattens her frills”. She doesn’t want to let herself down. The frustration of imperfect work is felt each time she “flings another piece of paper into the bin”. The pressure she inflicts on herself results in numerous “mistakes”.
At the outset, Lion, Tiger and Leopard have a “twinkle in their eye” and adopt a fun-loving approach to art class, while Christina determines to produce serious art. This clash of motives jeopardises the development of friends for fun, even though Lion, Tiger and Leopard are curious about Christina. “What are you doing, Christina? Why did you bring your paintbrushes?” they ask.
Christina responds to the empathy her sister, Chelsea, shows. As a true friend, Chelsea helps her make a new discovery. Once Lion, Tiger and Leopard stop and look at Christina, they begin to identify with her. That’s when friendship for fun becomes friends for mutual benefit. “Lion sprinkles her boots with sparkles, Tiger adds glitter buttons and Leopard puts on the disco music.”
When all the characters add empathy to curiosity, they discover they can work together harmoniously and really have fun! “Everyone has a twinkle in their eye.”
References: van Donge, Gloria (2017). Colour My Boots Book 3 in The Gifted Kid Book Series.
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Answers: Blog 13:
A) Chadwick’s paws are as hard as tyre rubber.
B) If Chadwick says “hello” and wants to lick your face, it will feel like sandpaper.
C) Chadwick’s paw prints are unique, like human finger prints.
D) Like all cheetahs, Chadwick has distinctive black markings that run from the inner corners of his eyes to the corners of his mouth. They are known as tear marks.
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