I Can't Draw

by Stephen W. Martin, Brian Biggs (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

Life could be rough if you can't draw. But it's definitely easier if your best pal can teach you! Stephen W. Martin and Brian Biggs' I Can't Draw is the hilariously relatable story of Max and Eugene and what creativity looks like when you mix in a dose of great friendship. Delightful art with delightful storytelling—what else do you need?

The Idea Jar meets When I Draw a Panda in this hilarious picture book following a boy who recruits his talented friend to teach him how to draw!

Max loves to draw, but he’s not very good at it. No, seriously, just look at some of his drawings. Ouch. So he asks his best friend, Eugene, for help. Working side by side, it’s pretty obvious there’s no hope for Max. Until Eugene has a brilliant idea, and they find a way to use Max’s unique talents to turn up the awesome and have some fun! A lot of fun!

Brian Bigg’s hilarious illustrations join Stephen W. Martin’s conversational text to create a laugh-out-loud read about embracing your talent and creativity that budding artists everywhere will relate to!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534493414
Publisher:	Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication date:	10/18/2022
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	136,588
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD500L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Stephen W. Martin is a writer on Netflix’s Emmy-nominated Trash Truck along with Frederator’s Bravest Warriors. Stephen is also the author of several picture books, including Charlotte and the Rock, Fluffy McWhiskers Cuteness Explosion, and I Can’t Draw. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife and dog. Visit him at Stephen-W-Martin.com.

Brian Biggs is the author and illustrator of many books for kids, including the Tinyville Town books, the New York Times bestselling Frank Einstein series (written by Jon Scieszka), Everything Goes, and Bike & Trike by Elizabeth Verdick. Brian has worked as an art director, graphic designer, and animator for interactivity and multimedia projects. His illustrations have appeared in magazines, newspapers, advertising, posters, toys, and puzzles. He works in an old garage. Visit him at MrBiggs.com.

Editorial Reviews

08/29/2022

White-presenting Max, a brash kid with snark to spare, views his perceived lack of drawing skills as a problem to solve. A blocky, crudely crayoned drawing on legal paper makes the situation plain: Max can draw, he’s just not executing to the level he would prefer. He asks the audience to guess what he’s rendered: “It starts with the letter H.” “Yes,” exults Max, with a clenched fist: “It is a horse!! I nailed it!!!” When the horse has the last word (“Did you though? DID YOU?”), though, Max enlists the help of artist classmate Eugene, portrayed with brown skin. In Biggs’s hands, Eugene’s drawings are small classical masterpieces against which Max’s cartoon scrawls offer amusing contrast. Eugene recommends drawing fruit as practice; Max would rather draw a robot stomping on the fruit. Yet an unexpected technique allows Max to mimic Eugene’s style, leading to a collaboration that combines Eugene’s skill with Max’s “flavor.” Martin (Fluffy McWhiskers Cuteness Explosion) clearly plumps for collaboration over competition (“I forgot all about trying to draw like Eugene”) in a portrait of creative fulfillment, but it’s Max’s story all the way. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

2022-06-22
What makes a good drawing? Accuracy or embellishment?

This ode to the triumphs and difficulties of drawing opens with the step-by-step construction of a cat. A child named Max then proclaims, “I can’t draw!” Wadded-up scraps of paper on the ground are signs of Max’s frustration as they display their efforts at creating a space cat and a horse. Sorta. In contrast is the horse that Max’s friend Eugene has drawn, a prancing, beautifully rendered equine. Max proceeds to offer Eugene cupcakes in exchange for lessons, which Eugene does, first by giving Max a book and then by working side by side with Max on landscapes, animals, and self-portraits. Alas, only tracing improves Max’s efforts. But Max and their imagination carry the day as the child proceeds to jazz up Eugene’s precise renderings, adding dinosaurs, lasers, and robots—unpolished but attention-grabbing additions. Whether they can draw well or just love to draw, children will enjoy the efforts and friendship of the two round-faced characters. Max’s work is rendered in crayon and Eugene’s work in graphite pen. Additional, colorful illustrations are done with colored pencils, pastels, and ink. All are child-friendly and appealing, reflecting both characters’ talents and passions. Coming full circle, the book concludes with Max’s personalized step-by-step instructions for drawing a cat. Max is light-skinned and bespectacled; Eugene is dark-skinned. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

In this relatable account, a child’s struggles to draw turn to triumph. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews