Foxes, owls, porcupines, a moose with proper antlers, plus the mushrooms and wildflowers they live among: this is the forest, drawn one simple step at a time. Bestselling artist Alli Koch breaks each woodland creature into a handful of confident lines, so a kid who swears they cannot draw finishes the first project convinced otherwise.

Like the rest of her How to Draw series, the square 9 by 9 inch format gives real room to work, and the projects ramp gently from quick wins to drawings worth signing. It is a natural companion volume to How to Draw All the Things for Kids: same friendly teaching, whole new cast of animals.

Best for roughly ages 7 to 12, and squarely in the sweet spot for the nature obsessed kid who narrates documentaries at dinner. Add a pencil tin and it is a birthday gift with an afternoon built in.