1-2-3 Draw Cartoon Sea Critters is a 63-page book giving step-by-step instructions on how to draw and color over 20 different sea creatures. The book is targeted for elementary-aged students. The drawings are simple, and the instructions are easy to follow.

This book would be best suited for the youngest of drawers, as there is not a lot of variety or detail in the finished drawings. All the "critters" have the same eyes and mouth and very similar shapes. Even though there are a couple of pages showing how to make different cartoon facial expressions, all the drawings look mostly the same and lack character or personality. The mad shark looks the same as the happy shark and the sad shark, who looks the same as the happy fish and the mad fish, who looks the same as the dolphin. . . . You get the drift. While this book may be fun for a while, it doesn't offer much in the way of actual instruction or stimulating creativity.

I feel this cartoon book offers too little for its $9 price tag. Cartoons are supposed to have character and expression, even when drawn at the most elementary level. While these drawings may slightly impress a preschooler, they are more likely to bore him. This book falls a little short of the mark.

Product review by Camilla Anderson, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, April 2008