Draw it! Colour it! Creatures: With over 40 top artists

We are told on the inside cover that this series is 'Books for people who love to draw made by people who love to draw'. And this book is exactly that, but so much more. There are drawing activities on every page by well known names such as Alex T Smith, Emily Gravett, Jim Field and Sarah McIntyre. Each of their pages delivers a creative challenge from turning a triangle into a dog to creating a dinner for monster! Each one of these could also be a starter for other activities including art and creating writing projects, individual and class or library activities. On one spread, a wizard is making something appear in his spell, but what is it? This could be the basis for a class discussion, followed by everyone writing their own spell and drawing what they want to appear. On another page, there are images of scrunched up pieces of paper with examples of how to turn these into actual pictures - what a great idea to share with a class, scrunching up bits of paper and finding what they can make from the shape with added extras like eyes and colour. There are also suggestions for developing textures and textiles, for thinking about different homes, and lots of activities around nature and bugs. There are giraffes to add camouflage or patterns to, trees to add nesting creatures to, mythical creatures to invent. Children will love this gorgeous book, but so will the grown-ups - fun, and lots of ideas. Ages 5 upwards / 120 pages / Reviewed by Rachel Green

Suggested Reading Age 5+