Do your kids love to draw? If you find drawings all over your house you probably have an artist on your hands! Odds are you have considered purchasing some drawing books for kids.
From my experience teaching in an elementary classroom, having How to Draw books for kids in my classroom library was an absolute must! Having these books available lets kids be independent in pursuing a creative interest. And it was always great watching kids working together to follow the directions and perfect their work!
How do you know which are the best drawing books for your young artist? From Step by Step Drawing for Kids to drawing specific things like animals or people, we have a handy list for you!
Things to Consider When Buying Drawing Books For Kids
There are a few things you should keep in mind that can help you narrow down your choices.
Reading Abilities
Your child may get frustrated at a drawing book where there are lots of written directions, especially if they are an emerging reader. Kids love to feel independent and looking for a book that has mostly picture instructions will let them take charge of their learning.
Drawing Interests
What do they like to draw? There are drawing books on all sorts of topics from people and faces to unicorns and other cute animals! Start with a book on a topic that you know your child is interested in. You can add to your collection later. And if your child just wants to draw, find a book that starts you off with the basics (Ed Emberley’s “Make a World” book is great for this!).
Age
Younger children and kids who are just starting to become interested in drawing will do better with simpler books. You definitely want your child to feel successful as they start off with their art. Imagine their excitement when they draw their first cat or car all by themselves! Drawing books for kids break the drawings down more simply than adult art books.
Drawing Printables and Guides
You can find all of our free drawing activities at the How To Draw section of our blog. We are constantly updating our site to include new drawing guides.
- How to draw a monkey
- How to draw a Spider Web
- How To Draw A Lion Easy Cartoon Drawing
- Fingerprint Art Drawing Ideas with Printable Drawing Frames
- Learn To Draw Activity Pack
Video showing you a closer look at the books
Please note that affiliate links are used in this post. As an amazon associate, if you purchase through one of these links this site will earn a small commission.
The Best Drawing Books For Kids
Check out these 17 books that include guided drawing for kids! There is a perfect book for drawing instruction from beginner to advanced and everything in between.
1. Draw Write Now
The Draw Write Now series of books includes simple drawings with clear instructions. It is also very popular with homeschoolers because of the copywork and writing section.
My Favorite Drawing Books – Ed Emberley Books
The first books on our list are four fantastic Ed Emberley activity books. He offers a great collection of art styles and topics. With easy pictures to draw for kids, his style is simple and kids of all ages will be able to follow the steps.
I love Ed Emberly books. They are amongst our favorite drawing books. These cool drawings for kids make you think out of the box and shows you how drawings consist of a few simple shapes and lines.
Ed Emberley’s Complete Funprint Drawing BookI love this fingerprint drawing book! Kids can make cute and original works of art just using a stamp pad and their fingerprints. Kids will just need to let the ink dry and then use a pen or marker to add details like hands and feet, faces and more.
Ed Emberley’s Complete Funprint Drawing BookI love this fingerprint drawing book! Kids can make cute and original works of art just using a stamp pad and their fingerprints. Kids will just need to let the ink dry and then use a pen or marker to add details like hands and feet, faces and more.
Check out my fingerprint art + drawing frames that I created to pair with this activity. I also share more details on the Fingerprint Art Drawing book!
Ed Emberley’s Drawing Book: Make a WorldI love this fingerprint drawing book! Kids can make cute and original works of art just using a stamp pad and their fingerprints. Kids will just need to let the ink dry and then use a pen or marker to add details like hands and feet, faces and more.
Ed Emberley’s Drawing Book of Faces
I love this fingerprint drawing book! Kids can make cute and original works of art just using a stamp pad and their fingerprints. Kids will just need to let the ink dry and then use a pen or marker to add details like hands and feet, faces and more.
5. Ed Emberley’s Drawing Book of Animals
You’ve probably seen by now why we love the Ed Emberley books! The last title we want to highlight here is his animal drawing book. Using different shapes and simple instructions, any child will be confident drawing the Ed Emberley way. Animals of all kinds are included, so kids will be able to draw their favorite animals with ease.
Learn to Draw Activity Pack
Check out our cute lion drawing step by step instructions!
Perfect for Beginners
Kids who are just starting to have an interest in drawing should check out the following books. Whether they are just starting out or want to brush up on basic drawing skills, these children’s drawing books provide basic instruction to the young and older!
Remember, there is no age limit on these drawing books! Adults can enjoy them too! In fact, learning to draw alongside your child can be a great bonding experience.
6. My First I Can Draw by Thomas Nelson
This book is great for young children! I love how not only are there easy drawings for kids, with step by step instructions, but after the child has drawn they can put their drawing into a scene! Grassy habitats for animals or clouds in the sky for air vehicles are some of the added bonuses you will find.
7. The How to Draw Book for Kids by Jacy Corral
If your kids love drawing cute animals and other adorable things this is the perfect book for them. It’s perfect for emergent readers because there is no text to be followed. Kids simply follow along as each step is completed.
8. How to Draw for Kids by Dylanna Press
This book has 45 step-by-step projects from animals to vehicles to fruits. Each step is numbered so there is no need to worry about reading ability. Kids, even the youngest learners, will be able to practice their drawing independently.
9. The Usborne Step by Step Drawing Book by Fiona Watt
Usborne has been making great, high-quality books for children for years. This drawing book is no exception. One of the ways that this book differs from other drawing books for kids is that some of the practice pages have variations in the final product. For example, the difference between drawing a lion and lioness. There are also sections where the author teaches kids how to add a setting to their animal drawings. A large blank space on the page ensures that kids will have plenty of room to draw and add to their drawings.
10. How to Draw by Barbara Soloff Levy
This is a great beginners book. Children will combine simple shapes to create their drawings. It’s a perfect introduction to showing kids how everything they draw can be done by just using circles, squares and other shapes.
11. How to Draw People by Barbara Soloff Levy
This is a perfect “how to draw people book” for kids, especially when they are still learning the basics. I really like how there are dotted lines used to indicate places where kids will need to erase extra lines. The people in the book include older and younger, boys and girls and are shown in a variety of poses. Your child will love learning how to draw a kid!
More Advanced Drawing
These drawing books for kids are perfect for when kids are ready to move on to more complicated drawing techniques, including drawing and erasing, sketching, and shading.
Add some of these books when your child has been successful with some beginner drawing books.
12. How to Draw 101 Animals by Dan Green
Kids won’t have any trouble finding a favorite animal to draw. There are no written instructions, but younger drawers may find it a little challenging to follow one step to the next. When kids are done with this title, there are lots of other ones as well such as drawing 101 dinosaurs, fairies, and more.
13. Draw 50 Animals: The Step-by-Step Way to Draw Elephants, Tigers, Dogs, Fish, Birds, and Many More… by Lee J. Ames
This book gets more in detail with drawing animals. Kids will be adding feathers to birds, using shading techniques and drawing animals in different poses to create realistic drawings. This one is a bit more complicated, so best for older kids or those who are ready for a challenge.
14. The Drawing Lesson: A Graphic Novel That Teaches You How to Draw by Mark Crilley
This book is a little different than others on our list. Because it is written as a graphic novel, children need to have independent reading skills to get the most of it. Mark Crilley acts as a guide to teach children the basics of drawing. It is a fun way to engage readers and artists!
A quick note about the content: there is a scene in the book where the mentor character loses her temper with the main character. This interaction may be something you want to discuss with your child if you choose to allow them to read the novel.
15. The Big Book Of Faces by Erik DePrince
Learn how to draw a face for kids. I really like how simple this book is while still allowing advancing artists to add to their skill set. Each face is drawn in 4-6 steps, so this might be a little harder for young children to follow. Kids need to have some of the basics down before moving on to this book. They will start to learn how facial features should be drawn from different perspectives.
16. Art for Kids: Drawing by Kathryn Temple
This is a great book for older kids, as it is heavy on reading. This teaches kids not only how to draw, but instruction in art basics such as lines, shadows, perspectives and more. There are fun art prompts throughout such as creating a drawing from a scribble and drawing with your eyes closed. Kids will love practicing their drawing while also learning more about different styles and techniques.
17. Draw, Paint, Sparkle: Creative Projects from an Elementary Art Teacher by Patty Palmer
This book includes 25 drawing and painting activities for children ages 5+. Patty is a gifted teacher and I often sit down with the kids myself and draw and paint with them. Patty breaks the drawing process down into understandable strokes and I love how soothing it is to add painting to the process of our art. I highly recommend this book. Most of the artwork you see below came from a lesson by Patty (through her online classes and her book.)
Drawing Accessories
These items are helpful to have in your drawing area (depending on the age of your child.)
We keep our art and drawing supplies in our art cart.
Which books will you try?
Whether your child is just learning how to draw or looking to add to their skills, you can’t go wrong with any of the selections on our list.
And if your kids love art and drawing, check out our list of 20 art books for kids.
What is the name of the book in the two photos with the hens and the simple sentences?
Hi Cari, I just updated the post to include a video and the name of the book with the hens. Thanks for letting me know that it was missing.