Why am I passionate about this?

I am a children’s book illustrator who has been passionate about illustration and art from a young age, and I am fortunate to have illustrated over 30 books for publishers worldwide. I have always believed drawing is for everyone and that you should not stop after childhood. Drawing can improve your mental health, enhance your way of visually communicating ideas, or just be a new way to have fun. I hope that my book and the books I have recommended inspire at least one person to pick up a pencil and have a go!


I wrote...

Cute-O-Rama: You Can Doodle Anything!: How to Draw More Than 125 Super-Cute, Super-Easy Things

By Grace Sandford,

Book cover of Cute-O-Rama: You Can Doodle Anything!: How to Draw More Than 125 Super-Cute, Super-Easy Things

What is my book about?

This is a book for those who want to draw but don’t know where to start!

When learning how to…

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of 365 Days of Drawing: Sketch and Paint Your Way Through the Creative Year

Grace Sandford Why did I love this book?

365 Days of Drawing is such a positive and personal book. It feels like an art diary that I can take in my bag for whenever I get a quiet moment between hectic moments of life. You can look back on your year through the prompts and see how much you have improved, whilst taking some time to practice your craft and to do something that you enjoy.

It is perfect for those who want to draw more but don’t know where to begin.   

By Lorna Scobie,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked 365 Days of Drawing as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Get lost in your creativity with 365 Days of Drawing, a thoughtful and inspiring art journal designed to help you carve out moments of self-expression.

Lorna shows you that drawing does not have to be scary - it can be done with any materials, in any colour, in any style and can be done anywhere.

Each activity has been given a loose category: imagination, tutorial, relaxation, colour theory, and observational, so that you can practice a broad range of drawing skills. Each 'theme' is designed to expand your creative skills and spark the artist within.

With helpful prompts and pages…


Book cover of What Do People Do All Day?

Grace Sandford Why did I love this book?

It was hard to just choose ONE Richard Scarry book as all of his books are so brilliant.

Like many children’s illustrators, I am heavily inspired by his books. The characterisation and details of the animals are so fun and lively, everyone has little quirks you can pick out, and you can imagine what they say or do!

What Do People Do All Day? is such a fun and creative book that I would challenge people of all ages to pick up and enjoy without having a huge smile on their faces! 

By Richard Scarry,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked What Do People Do All Day? as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

Now available in this beautiful hardback gift edition. Packed with things to spot on every page, this picture book classic is beautiful, fun and a favourite with children of all ages.

Everyone is busy in Busytown - from train drivers to doctors, from mothers to sailors, in police stations and on fire engines. Follow lots of busy people working through their busy days.

Captain Salty and his crew are getting ready to go on a voyage; Doctor Lion is busy at the hospital; Sergeant Murphy is working hard to keep things safe and peaceful; and engineers are building new roads.…


Book cover of The Worrier's Guide to Life

Grace Sandford Why did I love this book?

This book is such a perfect example of how funny and full of personality art can be.

Gemma’s work has such a strong voice, it is like a visual diary being told through illustration. Not only is everything impeccably drawn, but it is telling a story and making me laugh (a lot!) through many relatable moments! It is a very popular coffee table book in my house. 

By Gemma Correll,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Worrier's Guide to Life as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

If you're floundering in life, striking out in love, struggling to pay the rent, and worried about it all -- you're in luck! World Champion Worrier and Expert Insomniac Gemma Correll is here to assure you that it could be much, much worse.
In her hugely popular comic drawings, Gemma Correll dispenses dubious advice and unreliable information on life as she sees it, including The Dystopian Zodiac, Reward Stickers for Grown-Ups, Palm Reading for Millennials, and a Map of the Introvert's Heart. For all you fellow agonizers, fretters, and nervous wrecks, this book is for you. Read it and weep...with…


Book cover of The Artist

Grace Sandford Why did I love this book?

I’m a firm believer that picture books are for everyone. They are modern, affordable, and accessible works of art that can be viewed at home, school, or a library, rather than a busy gallery. You will find some of the most inspiring, creative and charming work being made today in them and The Artist is a perfect example of this.

Art is for everyone at every age and this book perfectly reflects this and encourages everyone to have a go, no matter what stage you are at! It is a mantra I try to instil in my work and that Ed Vere delivers in this book so perfectly. 

By Ed Vere,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Artist as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

From the award-winning Ed Vere comes a joyful and inspirational celebration of beauty, mistakes and the artist in all of us

'The Artist's optimistic ending, in particular, makes it perfect for bedtime reading and bedtime dreaming for little artists. It's a useful reminder for grown-up artists too.' - Art Quarterly

One brave little artist goes on one epic adventure to share her art, and in doing so learns that it doesn't matter if you colour outside the lines, that art is full of heart... and that maybe you are an artist too!

What is an artist?

Someone who sees beauty...…


Book cover of Illustrating Children's Books: Creating Pictures for Publication

Grace Sandford Why did I love this book?

I have had a copy of this book since I was a teenager. It is now slightly worn with a ragged sleeve from all of the rereads in my stages of life.

I wanted a career in art, and I just didn’t know how to make it happen. Martin Salisbury is a well-known and hugely respected lecturer of children’s book illustration and founded the MA in Children’s Book Illustration in Cambridge, UK. This course has produced a large list of incredible talent, whose work you will find everywhere in book shops.

This book talks about different mediums and methods of creating illustrations in a way that not many other books discuss, such as printmaking and collage. Although I am a big doodler myself, there is such a rich tapestry of mediums for everyone to try!

This book is brilliant for those looking to learn more about children’s illustration as a profession and want to learn more whilst being inspired by lots of examples of book illustration. 

By Martin Salisbury,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Illustrating Children's Books as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Learn how to create effective illustrations to match children's stories for different age groups. The art of illustration for children has a long and rich tradition, and for generations has been loved by countless readers. Illustrating Children's Books shows you how to create beautiful artwork for children, examines the approaches taken by advanced-level students and leading artists and describes how their ideas evolve from start to finish through step-by-step sketches. - Identify the techniques used by successful children's illustrators and get advice on how to tackle fantasy, fairy tale, realism and nature drawings - Learn tips on working in a…


Don't forget about my book 😀

Cute-O-Rama: You Can Doodle Anything!: How to Draw More Than 125 Super-Cute, Super-Easy Things

By Grace Sandford,

Book cover of Cute-O-Rama: You Can Doodle Anything!: How to Draw More Than 125 Super-Cute, Super-Easy Things

What is my book about?

This is a book for those who want to draw but don’t know where to start!

When learning how to draw, you are often given a bowl of fruit or a landscape to draw, but I wanted to create a book that inspires creativity in a less traditional way. As a children’s book illustrator I love creating characters that are full of fun and silliness. Inside this book, there are zillions of creatures waiting to be doodled by artists of all abilities and ages. The characters all have their own little biographies and personalities to inspire creation of your own. This book covers the basics of drawing whilst inspiring the reader to have fun and to do things their own way! 

You might also like...

Free Your Joy: The Twelve Keys to Sustainable Happiness

By Lisa McCourt,

Book cover of Free Your Joy: The Twelve Keys to Sustainable Happiness

Lisa McCourt Author Of Free Your Joy: The Twelve Keys to Sustainable Happiness

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

I wasn’t always a joyful person. But today I’m freaking sunshine, and full-out committed to being an effective member of the team that’s elevating the level of love and joy in the world! My positions on that team have included writing dozens of mega-selling books (my own, and as a ghostwriter), founding my online Joy School at LisaMcCourt.com, hosting my Do Joy! podcast, and collaborating on projects with many other popular teachers of consciousness and joyful living. My books have sold over 9 million copies, earned 7 publishing industry awards, and garnered over 9,000 glowing Amazon reviews. Joy is my jam. I know a joyful book when I read one! 

Lisa's book list on igniting joy despite all the crap in your life

What is my book about?

We all want peace. We all want a life of joy and meaning. We want to feel blissfully comfortable in our own skin, moving through the world with grace and ease. But how many of us are actively taking the steps to create such a life? 

In Free Your Joy, millions-selling author and podcaster Lisa McCourt takes readers through the life-altering principles of vibration elevation that she has taught for 20 years through her online Joy School, sharing her unique formula for raising your “joy setpoint” to cultivate authentic, lasting peace and fulfillment in your daily life. Joy is…

Free Your Joy: The Twelve Keys to Sustainable Happiness

By Lisa McCourt,

What is this book about?

Bestselling author and creator of Joy School Lisa McCourt outlines her unique formula for sustainable happiness, offering a year's worth of activities, prompts, and techniques that raise your "joy setpoint" so you can cultivate authentic, lasting peace and fulfillment in your daily life.

Unprecedented global events have left many of us feeling depleted, depressed, isolated, and disconnected from many of the things that made us happy. Lisa McCourt, host of the Do Joy! podcast and founder of Joy School, helps people raise their joy setpoints regardless of what is happening around them.

Learning about joy is one thing, but it's…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in creativity, worry, and drawing?

Creativity 142 books
Worry 13 books
Drawing 64 books