Why I Spend Hours Sketching in Conflict Zones (Level 1)

George Butler is an artist with a special job. He is a reportage artist. This means he travels to dangerous places like war zones. He draws pictures of the people he meets there. George believes that drawing helps him connect with people. It takes time to draw a picture. This gives him time to listen to their stories. One day, George met a man named Petro in Ukraine. A bomb had destroyed a building near a garden. Books were on the ground. Petro picked them up and made neat piles. He told George, "Books are food for the soul." He was very gentle in a hard situation. George also drew a woman named Olga. She was 99 years old. She told George about her long life. She survived many wars and hard times. She once walked home from Germany with a herd of cows. George says drawing lets him see the human side of these events.