Archives: Walter Foster Jr. Books
Are you an aspiring cartoonist or comic book artist? Then You Can Draw Comic Book Characters is just for you! Following the simple step-by-step projects in this fun and exciting book, beginning artists—both the young and the young at heart—will learn to draw a range of original heroic and villainous comic characters, each with their own background story and superpower! Tips, techniques, and easy-to-understand instructions for drawing faces, hair, costumes, and poses will help you create your own unique characters in no time. You’ll not only learn how to design characters from scratch, but you’ll also discover how to add dialog and tell a story using panels.
The book opens with helpful sections on tools and materials, essential drawing techniques, and color. This information ensures that you know the basics before getting started on the step-by-step projects that follow. Get to know and draw more than 25 fun characters, including:
- Jinx Tagget, whose discovery of the Star Stone allows her to control gravity with energy pulses from her hands (and therefore fly!)
- Tazu the Terror, whose greatest power is not his magical staff, but his ability to accurately predict the actions of his foes
- Monsclara, a powerful but clumsy alien race from the planet Marumei
- Battle Model KR-E2, fully sentient robots that want to wake up other KR robots
- Alleyne, the smallest person from a planet full of giants, who accidentally ended up on Earth after being zapped through a warp tunnel
- Cordy Seacliff, child genius, who created a jet-pack inspired by the old sci-fi movies he loves
- Babsti, professor and expert Egyptologist who discovered the secrets the cat goddess Bastet, whose powers she is now able to yield
- The Vortexer, an anti-hero consumed by jealousy who wears a technologically enhanced super suit with wrist-mounted vortex cannons
- And many more!
Cleverly written and beautifully illustrated by professional artist Spencer Brinkerhoff III, You Can Draw Comic Book Characters is the perfect introduction to comic book character illustration for cartoon artists-in-training!
The acronym STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. At the preschool level, this doesn’t mean trying to teach your kids robotics and engineering, but rather presenting them with open-ended projects that allow them to problem-solve, make mistakes, get creative, and most of all, have fun.
While most preschool-age children are not yet reading, STEAM Play & Learn is meant to be child-driven. The images, illustrations, and projects are meant to appeal to kids of their age and abilities. Let them be the guide as you explore the projects in this book. Topics include symmetry and how light bounces to create reflections with mirror mandalas, diffusion and capillary action with tie dye towels, structural framing and bracing with marshmallow structures, and electrical currents with salty circuits. Other projects include:
- Color Mixing Lab
- Frozen Goop
- Sound Tubes
- Citrus Volcanoes
- Paper Bag Blocks
- Egg Carton Geoboards
- Pool Noodle Marble Run
- Potions Lab
- Balance Scale
- Spin Art Tops
- Marble Mazes
- Tinkering Set
- Pattern Projectors
- Newton’s Cradle
- Art Machine
- Lime Light
The cross-subject approach to learning in STEAM Play & Learn will prepare young children for the subjects they will soon learn in elementary school and beyond. These 20 projects will provide hours of fun education for both kids and parents!
“This positive compendium of possibilities should encourage children to embrace their paths, wherever they lead.” — Kirkus Reviews
Whether they’re fascinated by construction sites, vehicles, teaching, dancing, music, books, or any other thing, boys can grow up to be whatever they want! ABC What Can He Be? presents a whole alphabet full of exciting, thoughtful, and wonderful things boys can do, including environmental engineering, fashion design, carpentry, quantum physics, and yoga instruction. This book shows that there are no limits to what boys can pursue.
Talented illustrator Jessie Ford of Sugar Snap Studio pairs engaging, inspiring illustrations with 26 different career possibilities and empowering text, highlighting careers that are fun, challenging, and impactful. Young readers will learn their ABCs and discover a diverse range of exciting options for their future through this fun family read.
The ABC for Me series presents a world of possibilities from A to Z and everything in between! For all little kids with big dreams, the endearing illustrations and mindful concepts in this series pair each letter of the alphabet with words that promote big dreams, inclusion, acceptance, healthy living, and other key concepts important to emotional well-being. Other titles in this series include:
- ABC What Can She Be?
ABC What Can I Be? - ABC Let’s Celebrate You & Me
- ABC Everyday Heroes Like Me
With I Can Draw: Wild Animals, young artists can use basic shapes and easy-to-follow, step-by-step projects to draw 15 of their favorite animals.
With 15 fun drawing projects, I Can Draw: Wild Animals is a collection of some of kids’ most loved wild animals. All of the drawings are created with simple shapes that are easy for young artists to make, and the cute illustrations are appealing and approachable to young ones.
The book begins with an introduction to drawing materials and instructions on how to use the book, and then it jumps right into the drawing projects: elephant, lion, bear, deer, hedgehog, whale, panda, badger, tortoise, chimpanzee, giraffe, rhinoceros, tiger, wolf, and zebra. For an elephant:
- Kids start with a square, add a line, a curved line, and some more straight and curved lines. They are encouraged to keep following along with each step.
- As they make their way through the steps, all the new pencil marks to make are shown in a different color so it’s easy to know what to draw next.
- Once they near the end of the project, these young artists will start to see a drawing of an elephant appear on their paper, and all they need to do now is add some color.
Great job!
Each title in the I Can Draw series features easy step-by-step drawing lessons for little artists. Starting with basic shapes, such as a square, a rectangle, a triangle, and a circle, children will discover how to draw a range of subjects. The books in the I Can Draw series provides the perfect introduction to drawing for budding artists.
Have even more drawing fun with: I Can Draw: Favorite Pets, I Can Draw: Cats & Kittens, I Can Draw: Everything Cute & Cuddly, and I Can Draw: Dogs & Puppies.
Based on The Gummy Bear Show, this book lets you jump right into the imaginative world of Gummibär & Friends. Join Gummibär onstage and backstage, in the studio and at snack time, busting dance moves and making a colorful scene with Kala the fearless cat and Harry the smart chameleon. The bright, cheerful art makes it easy for kids to bring the friends’ wacky energy to life with crayons, markers, or colored pencils.
Packed with mischief and sweet, squishy style, this book includes:
- 96 one-sided coloring pages featuring fun, funky scenes starring Gummibär, Kala, and Harry
- 100+ stickers to decorate water bottles, lunchboxes, notebooks, and more
- High-quality paper that works with colored pencils, markers, or crayons
- A perfect mix of goofy and good vibes to keep kids smiling and creating
Ideal for young super-fans or anyone who loves to move, color, and laugh, the Gummibär & Friends Coloring & Sticker Book brings the series’ signature squishy silliness from the screen to the page. Let the coloring party begin!
Discover new books, document your favorites, learn fun facts about books and authors, and develop a lifelong reading habit.
101 Books to Read Before You Grow Up (Revised Edition) is the ultimate reading guide for kids ages 4 to 12+, packed with 101 kid-friendly book recommendations and interactive features to inspire young readers. This revised edition includes diverse voices and graphic novels and reflects current educational trends, making it a modern and inclusive reading guide for young readers today. From classics like Where the Wild Things Are, Beezus and Ramona, and The Phantom Tollbooth to newer favorites such as Big, New Kid, and Brown Girl Dreaming, this inspiring guide covers every stage of a young reader’s journey. Designed as an engaging journal, this book allows you to document your reading journey by noting which books you’ve read, why you love them, and how you rate each one.
Each book entry includes:
- Brief description and quote: Provides insight into the book’s story, theme, and style.
- Engaging illustrations: Feature characters or key elements from each book.
- “Did you know?” facts: Fun tidbits about the book or author to spark curiosity.
- “What to read next?”: Recommendations to help you find more books you’ll love.
- Interactive rating and note space: A place for you to rate and write about your experience with each book.
Organized by book format (picture books, early readers, chapter books, and more) and cross-indexed by subjects like fairy tales, fantasy, sports, and nonfiction, 101 Books to Read Before You Grow Up promotes family reading time and encourages lifelong reading habits.
From A is for Advocate to Z is for Zest, each letter of the alphabet is paired with inspirational historical concepts in this 9×9–inch board book. Along with the upbeat, rhyming text covering both well-known and more obscure topics, are colorful illustrations that promote an excitement and curiosity about Black American history. Covering trailblazers from A to Z but also chronologically, this book features a visual timeline with additional information for more in-depth learning on the people, places, and events discussed.
From Harriet Tubman and Fanny Jackson Coppin to Amanda Gorman and Ketanji Brown Jackson, ABC Black History and Me covers more than 170 years in a short board book appropriate for the little ones. This book is not only perfect for getting toddlers comfortable with their ABCs, but also for reflecting on how we are all affected by this history and how even the youngest of children will affect the future.
With age-appropriate concepts and visuals, ABC Black History and Me is a perfect discussion starter for the whole family. Even adults will find something to learn in this board book!
The ABC for Me series presents a world of possibilities from A to Z and everything in between! For all little kids with big dreams, the endearing illustrations and mindful concepts in this series pair each letter of the alphabet with words that promote big dreams, inclusion, acceptance, healthy living, and other key concepts important to emotional well-being. Other books in this series include:
- ABC Love
- ABC What Can She Be?
- ABC Let’s Celebrate You & Me
- ABC Bedtime
Empower, encourage, and inspire the next generation of women with this sweetly illustrated children’s book of letters from parents to their daughters.
A feel-good nighttime read aimed at girls ages 3 and 4 but sure to be appreciated by all, Letters to My Darling Daughter is a love letter from parent to daughter brimming with advice and life lessons. Each spread of this book features a letter or note from a parent to their daughter, along with a captivating illustration. A tenderhearted encapsulation of a parent’s love, this book shows young girls how they can grow up to be independent and strong girls and women.
Encouraging young girls and reminding adult women to stand up against inequality in their lives, the powerful messages inside include:
“Your body is your own”
“Success comes in many forms"
“Treat others how you’d like to be treated"
“You are rare and unique, so embrace yourself”
“Your ideas matter”
The last page of the book includes space for the parent to write their own personal message to their darling daughter.
Letters to My Darling Daughter is brought to you by Sugar Snap Studio, the author of the best-selling board book ABC What Can She Be?
This is the perfect gift book to a daughter of any age from her mother—for baby showers, graduations, Mother’s Day, birthdays, and more.
What’s better than reading and drawing? Doing them together, in the same book! The Watch Me Read and Draw book series is special because it blends two things together that kids love: reading and drawing!
It’s easy and fun to learn to draw, especially when there’s a story to read and lots of stickers. In Watch Me Read and Draw: Dinosaurs, kids will read about Pete the pterodactyl who discovers an egg and sets out to find its parent. Throughout the story, readers will learn to draw 11 prehistoric pals, step by step, including dinosaurs that roamed the land, air, and sea. Included are drawing instructions for a Pterodactyl, Apatosaurus, Compsognathus, Sauroposeidon, Ankylosaurus, Ornithomimus, Stegosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex, Diplodocus, Mamenchisaurus, and Triceratops!
Each page features easy-to-follow instructions so young artists can draw all of the dinosaurs from the story, one step at a time. Basic shapes that kids will recognize make it easy to follow along and learn how to draw. The flip-out drawing pad also offers drawing prompts and simple shapes for a jump-start, making it enjoyable and fun to draw favorite dinosaurs. Plus, there’s a whole bunch of colorful stickers inside to reward them as they complete the story along the way, and a prehistoric scene at the end to make their very own! It’s the perfect starter drawing book for kids who love to read and draw.
Have you ever wanted to draw your pet or the pet you wish you had? Now you can with How to Draw Kawaii MangaPets! In this fun and interactive guide, award-winning manga artist and educator Misako Rocks! teaches young artists to draw their favorite furry and fantastic friends in kawaii manga style.
In How to Draw Kawaii Manga Pets, Misako shows kids how to create their own irresistibly cute cats, dogs, bunnies, amphibians, and even magical pets like dragons and unicorn bunnies! With easy step-by-step lessons and QR codes linking to Misako’s video tutorials, young artists can follow along and draw right beside a real manga pro.
Inside, you’ll find:
- Step-by-step drawing tutorials to help you sketch 25+ pets with various expressions and in multiple poses.
- Pet expressions like winking, surprised, smiling, grumpy, crying, shy, hungry, and more.
- Pet poses like sleeping, standing, sitting, playing, running, yawning, stretching, eating, and more.
- A chapter on “Kawaii Pets and Me” where you can learn to draw manga characters with their pets, and even draw yourself with your pets!
- Interactive QR codes linking to video tutorials for extra guidance.
- Complete the drawing pages and practice sheets to spark creativity and self-expression.
- Motivational advice from Misako Rocks! to inspire young artists to follow their dreams.
Each project includes tips for drawing different poses and expressions, plus ideas for creating scenes that show pets playing, snuggling, or spending time with their manga caregivers. Packed with practice pages and creative challenges, this book helps budding artists build confidence and have fun while learning to draw in true kawaii manga fashion. Perfect for fans of cute art, manga, and animals alike, How to Draw Kawaii Manga Pets is an inspiring, screen-free way for kids to create their own adorable worlds!
Find even more fun-loving manga instruction inHow to Draw Kawaii Manga Chibi: Big Emotions, How to Draw Kawaii Manga Fashion, and How to Draw Kawaii Manga Characters, also from the Learn Manga with Misako series.