Drawing instruction books, perennially popular in library collections, succeed when they enable the reader to experience some degree of instant gratification. This assortment of kawaii (cute) animals provides eight steps for each creature, with a color-coded progression that guides the reader in distinguishing each step from the next. These eight in-progress illustrations are the only instruction given, aside from a few sentences of basic information regarding sketching, inking, and coloring provided in the introduction. The drawings start with very basic shapes that form the rough outline of each of 28 animals, and then add from there. The sketch moves from a very basic outline in step six to a detailed outline in step seven to a fully colored finished product in step eight, so the fine details that really make a drawing come alive will be up to readers to copy or embellish. Comics and manga fans may recognize the author, and though these animals are much less detailed than her other work, there is much here to be learned from this expert. -- Anne Heidemann Booklist 2020.