I can't draw by Stephen W. Martin, illustrated by Brian Biggs

The story opens with the narrator, a dark-haired white kid with glasses, surrounded by crumpled paper and declaring that he just can't draw. As proof, Max shows some of his pictures, drawn in faux-kid scribble style as cartoons. Max thinks he's nailed it with a horse, which strongly resembles a cartoon pig with a mane, but has he really, compared to... Eugene's drawing?

Eugene, a black kid with a short haircut and friendly smile, is shown with some of his drawings; a Da Vinci-style sketch of a horse and a still-life painting of flowers. Max hatches a plan for Eugene to teach him to draw and Eugene agrees, trying Max out on a typical how-to-draw book and then on practicing his own still life of fruit. Unfortunately, Max is quickly bored and combines the two with his cartoon style, showing the t-rex from the book stomping on the fruit. They try drawing side by side, leading to a comparison of Eugene's skillful black and white sketches and Max's goofy cartoon style, but Max is still not satisfied with his work. Next, he tries tracing Eugene's art, which once again leaves him bored. Finally, Max realizes that he can draw, in his own style, and together the two create a wall of funny masterpieces.

The endpapers contrast the two drawing styles, the first a typical how-to-draw sequence for a cat and the last a goofy interpretation by Max. Biggs' cartoons are funny and the message, that we each create art in our own way, is obvious, but I admit that I'm not completely sold on it. Although the idea is that both of the kids are artists, it seems to me that the story implies that Eugene's art style is "boring" not to mention the emphasis on Max drawing in his own style without wanting the work of learning a different style or the mechanics of drawing. Of course, this is an adult viewpoint, and it's nice to see something emphasizing that all kids should have fun and enjoy art, but it seems to me there should be a part pointing out that no matter your style, you still have to do the work - and that it's good to be able to draw in different styles, as the illustrator himself does.

Verdict: There are a lot of picture books about enjoying art and working in your own style, going back to Tomie de Paola's classic The Art Lesson. This one stands out a little with the thread of humor running through the story, but ultimately it's an additional purchase.

ISBN: 9781534493414; Published October 2022 by Margaret McElderry; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library