Get into the Season with Drawing Spooky Chibi

I can’t honestly call this a book review because I wrote this book, so of course I think it’s great. But if you’ve got a kiddo who likes to draw, Drawing Spooky Chibi is a fun book to help them learn to draw cute versions of creepy creatures.

This is the second time I’ve teamed up with Canadian illustrator Tessa Creative Art to produce a book full of simple, fun and cute creations for kids to draw. I think books like these are a great way to encourage kids who like to draw but might not always know what they want to draw. And this time of year they’d make super cute decorations for the house, for Halloween cards or for the classroom.

The instructions for each creature are given step by step in words and line drawings, and they’re broken down into simple steps that kids and adults alike can draw. There’s a range of creepy cute creatures here, including:

ghost
skeleton
zombie
vampire
mummy
Frankenstein’s monster
Bride of Frankenstein
onryo
headless horseman
banshee
witch
wizard
killer clown
black cat
bat
spider
scarecrow
scary doll
cthulhu
werewold
devil
grim reaper
Baphomet
Cerberus
goblin
swamp monster

I’m not sure I can pick favorites, but the little cthulhu is super cute (you can find it in the top left corner of the cover, which gives you a good look at a few of the designs).

Doing these books has been so fun, and not something I ever would have expected because I’m not much good at drawing (I can write instructions, though, and my daughter, who is both a teen and an artist, was a great technical consultant.)

The other book in this series that I co-wrote is called Drawing Fantasy Chibi, which is similar in style but features more creatures from mythology such as a centaur, mermaid, fairy and more.

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Check Out My New Book: Drawing Fantasy Chibi

The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is important throughout Mexico and other parts of the world. Her feast day is Dec. 12, and the celebrations honoring her appearance to Juan Diego in 1531 begin a few days before that.

Whether you celebrate yourself or just want to share about the celebration at home or in your classroom, Las Mañanitas: The Beautiful Celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a good place to start. The book, by Ernesto Joel Vega Rosales and Jeanette Gonzalez Seneviratne, with illustrations by Dana Sanmar, tells the story of a family’s celebration of the feast day in both English and Spanish.

They prepare with a novena, which is nine days of prayers and preparations. The children, Lucia and Pablo, are given special outfits made by their grandmother that look like what Juan Diego might have worn when he saw Our Lady. The book describes the prayers that are made each day, such as a prayer for respect for life, for families and for the indigenous people of the Americas, to name a few.

As told in the book, Juan Diego was a native Mexican born near modern day Mexico City. His given name was Cuaauhtlatoatzin, which means “He who speaks like an eagle.” When he converted to Christianity his name was changed to Juan Diego, and as he walked to church he passed a hill called Tepeyac. One day he heard the birds singing especially beautifully and a voice called him to go to the top of the hill.

There he saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, who asked him to tell the bishop she wanted a chapel built in her name at the foot of the hill. The bishop asked for a sign that Juan Diego really saw her, and later she had him collect flowers that she blessed and take them to the bishop. When Juan Diego dropped the flowers, an image of Our Lady could be seen on his cloak, which is still on display in her basilica to this day.

The feast day is celebrated as mañanitas, which includes singing, indigenous music and dancing, and children presenting flowers to Our Lady. Juan Diego is remembered today as being humble, brave and faithful, and was the first indigenous American made a saint.

The book is colorful and tells the story in a clear way, and it’s fun to have it both in English and Spanish if you teach Spanish or speak Spanish at home or in the classroom. It’s a great way to learn the basics of the celebration and the story of Juan Diego and why he is still remembered today.

About the book: 40 pages, paperback, published 2024 by Loyola Press. Suggested retail price $14.99.

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