When it comes to great ways to get your kids away from screens, cartooning is high on the list. It can be easy to get lost in other people’s art in games and shows, but why not teach your kids (and maybe yourself) how to bring the images from your imagination to life? It’s a great way to come together as a family and come up with new stories and learn new skills.
Of course, cartooning can be a difficult skill to learn. Luckily, there are a lot of resources out there that teach the process step-by-step in a kid-friendly way. Here are eight of the best cartooning books for kids:
1. Arts of Kids: Cartooning
From professional cartoonist Art Roche, this book teaches kids how to make their ideas a drawn reality. The book holds that anyone who can make a stick figure can make a cartoon. This book not only covers the technical how-to of art, but also gives advice on writing jokes, panel composition, and getting your cartoons published.
It’s a book written with fourth graders and up, as it is a fun but serious look at the technical art of making cartoons, so it might not be the best choice for very young children, but it is a great option for budding young artists.
2. The Drawing Book for Kids
Help your kids learn how to draw all sorts of different things with this book. It gives 365 different drawing lessons, one for every day of the year. This is a great way to help a child develop excellent skills at drawing and making cartoons.
Every lesson is broken down step-by-step. It’s ideal for ages 9-12, though younger children (6-8) with an interest in art can enjoy it, too. The large pictures are easy to follow and it teaches a lot of the basics that will come in handy as your children learn to do more complex art.
3. How to Draw People
Learning to draw people is key to any future of cartoonist. It opens up room for more ideas that can be put on paper. However, many artists- young or old- struggle with drawing people. Using this book, your child can learn to take basic shapes to draw 30 different human characters.
The book not only includes step-by-step instructions, but also blank practice pages. It is easy for children as young as 6 to follow along with the instructions and helpful for any age who is looking to start drawing. The blank pages opposite the instructions are a big help and one of the major draws of this book.
4. Art for Kids: Comic Strips: Create Your Own Comic Strips from Start to Finish 
This is another wonderful and useful book from Art Roche. This book focuses a lot on personal vision and original illustrations, helping children who already have some drawing skills to better be able to put their ideas into a cartoon.
This is a book for young artists that want to go beyond just developing their basic skills to creating something they can share with others outside their family. It’s a great guide for older children with some fundamental art skills who have expressed a desire to create cartoons and comic books. Get a copy of this book now!
5. Drawing for Kids How to Draw Word Cartoons with Letters & Numbers
This book helps aspiring artists take basic shapes and work up to simple illustrations and cartoon characters. It is not only an instruction book but also includes some fun with words. This book is useable for kids as young as 4, but it can be enjoyed by teenagers and adults as well.
The idea is to have a no-tears experience, where kids learn how to draw without getting frustrated. You may find yourself having to wait your turn as both and your children will enjoy using this book to become artists!
6. How to Draw: Easy Techniques and Step-by-Step Drawings for Kids
Written for ages 9-12, this book will walk kids through drawing anything from realistic landscapes to creative cartoons. It covers the basics as it goes along, keeping the instructions smart and simple.
It’s an inspiring way to learn how to draw, with a lot of different lessons to be found that can fit your child’s interests on just about any given day. It not only teaches readers how to draw cartoons, but also how to use light and dark, perspective, and even how to create 3D effects.
7.How To Draw Animals For Kids: A Fun and Simple Step-by-Step Drawing and Activity Book for Kids to Learn to Draw
This is an excellent book for those who are just starting out how to learn to draw cartoons. It uses the grid copy method to teach basic observation and proportion skills. It has more than 20 illustrations that are very simple, with the picture on one page and the grid to use on the opposite page. It is great for very young children who are serious about learning to draw and even appeals to adults, too!
Buy this book here.
8. How to Draw Kawaii Cute Animals + Characters 3: Easy to Draw Anime and Manga Drawing for Kids
If your kid loves cute animals, this is the cartooning book for them! It teaches children how to draw dozens of cute Japanese-style kawaii animals, objects, desserts, and other cute characters. The style uses basic shapes to create truly adorable little figures. They are very easy to draw for all ages and make a great start for any young artist who is learning how to make cartoons.
