I Cannot Draw a Horse
Author & Illustrator: Charise Mericle Harper
Publishing October 11th, 2022 by Union Square Kids
Summary: Award-winning author and illustrator Charise Mericle Harper delivers a fantastically funny adventure about doing the impossible: drawing a horse.
The cat wants a horse.
The book cannot draw a horse.
The book CAN draw a squirrel, a beaver, and a bunny.
Fun . . . but the cat still wants a horse.
Can the quick-draw book appease the horse-obsessed cat with an impressive collection of horse-y alternatives (all created from the same “nothing shape”)? Or will the cat finally get a horse? The cat REALLY wants a horse.
Praise: “This book is clever in its simple story and imaginative, 2-D illustrations, which are printed on pages like graph paper. Easy text appears in both standard form and yellow speech bubbles, giving it an easy-to-follow, graphic novel feel. Creative and loaded with humor, this story will have kids giggling in seconds and trying their hand at drawing a horse—or at least a gumdrop.” — Booklist, Starred Review
About the Author: Charise Mericle Harper is the award-winning author and illustrator of numerous books for children, including The Good for Nothing Button!, Cupcake, Go! Go! Go! Stop!, So Embarrassing, and Bad Sister. Her children’s book series include Pepper & Boo, Just Grace, Fashion Kitty, Sasquatch and Aliens, Bean Dog and Nugget, and Crafty Cat. Charise lives with her family and furry pets in Portland, Oregon.
Review: This clever picture book is funny and inspiring! It shows readers to not give up and to push themselves creatively. It also shows the power of the basics of art, specifically shapes & lines, can be used to tell stories, show characters’ emotions, and be manipulated in so many different ways. And the basic graphic novel format will grab readers’ attention and will keep them reading. Over all a fun picture book read that will bring giggles and asks for rereading.
Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Educators will first want to read this book aloud–students will love the cranky cat and his demands! But then the book could easily lead into a discussion on creativity and creation of their own story using one shape. Use the book as a mentor text for students to imitate.
Discussion Questions:
- Why do you think the cat wants a horse so badly?
- What does the end of the story lead you to believe?
- What is your go-to shape when drawing? What animals can you make from it?
- Why is the cat getting so frustrated with the author/illustrator?
- How does the author turn this basic concept into a plot?
Flagged Passages:
Read This If You Love: Give This Book a Title by Jarrett Lerner, I Can Only Draw Worms by Will Mabbitt, Draw the Line by Kathryn Otoshi
Recommended For:
**Thank you to Jenny at Union Square for providing a copy for review!**
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