Finn • 9 • Wicklow
8-11 Category • 2026My picture is called Dinner Time. I drew it with pencils and markers. It shows a frill shark chasing a squid in the deep ocean. The frill shark mouth is open because I wanted it to look fast, like the chase is just about to end. I love sharks. Sharks make me feel strong. Sometimes school feels tricky for me because I am dyslexic so letters and words feel slippery. But sharks don’t judge spelling. Sharks are about teeth and swimming and being brave. When I draw sharks, my head feels calm and powerful at the same time. The frill shark is a real shark and not made up. I know lots of facts. Frill sharks have about 300 teeth and they are in rows, like a trap. Their mouth looks like a flower when it opens. That is why it is called frill. They live very deep in the ocean, so people don’t see them much. The squid in my picture is long and has big eyes. Squid are smart and fast. They have tentacles and can change colour. Frill sharks eat squid in real life, so this could really happen. I like when my drawings are true. The shark is not mean. It is just hungry. That is why the picture is called Dinner Time. In the ocean, animals have to eat or they don’t live. Sharks help keep the ocean balanced. When I draw sharks, I forget about mistakes. If I spell something wrong, it doesn’t matter. If a line goes crooked, it can be another wave. Sharks teach me that being different is okay. This picture shows how I feel inside. Sometimes I feel chased by words. But when I draw sharks, I am the shark. I am strong, I know facts, and I keep going. My mum helped me with the words for this.
