Little girl in graphite

The current assignment in Year of the Spark involves acrylic painting of pictures of oneself or one's drawings from childhood.  I have none of my drawings from way back when, but I found a picture of me from when I was about three years old.

Having nothing to do with the actual "Spark" assignment itself, here's my sketch:

"Within Reach" - graphite and pastel

What appeals to me about the original photo is the unabashed effort I am taking to stretch out to touch the leaf.  I like that aspect of young children... and dogs.  Undaunted, they go for it completely :-)

O, wonderful news, I spotted Bud the squirrel four days ago.  He was larking about in a nearby tree.  If you missed it, here's the link to my post about Bud.