Books with author Steve Harpster

An adorable tiger cub. A cuddly bunny with a carrot in its paws. An irresistible penguin—everyone’s favorite animal these days. Those are just a few of the cute baby creatures any child can draw in just a few steps. This newest entry in the popular art series for kids ages 7 to 10 makes it simple to create pictures young artists will be proud to show off. With the help of shaded lines to guide their pencils and crayons across the page, children will produce a menagerie of wild and domesticated beasts, from a funny monkey on a log to a bright yellow duckling splashing in a puddle, from a little elephant to a puppy, kitten, or tiny mouse.

Put on a happy face!You just gotta love the spuds! Children who put silly faces on MR. POTATO HEAD generally end up with happy faces of their own. Versatility has always been at the heart of this potato family’s style, and that’s why kids find this popular toy so irresistible. Now, young artists can experience that same creative pleasure on the page—while building their drawing skills, too.As always, Pencil, Paper, Draw! makes the artistic process simple and reassuring: children just trace the easy-to-follow colored guidelines to create great pictures. They’ll start with a basic potato shape, and then have hours of fun choosing their favorite facial features, clothing, and accessories. When they’re done, their MR. POTATO HEAD will truly be one of a kind! MR. POTATO HEAD is a trademark of Hasbro and is used with permission. © 2007 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved. Licensed by Hasbro.

With just their pencils, and this very basic drawing course, kids can grow a bright and blossoming garden on the page! It’s so simple: every spread presents budding artists with colorful numbered lines to trace. Blue is for the new steps, black ones are for the lines done previously, and the gray lines are just for guidance—they can be erased before the picture is done. Kids will happily draw bluebells and chrysanthemums, daffodils and sunflowers, daisies in a vase, geraniums in a flowerpot, apple tree blossoms on a branch, and more. Instructions explain the different parts of the flower and provide tips on what makes them look realistic.

Parties, games, amusement parks, haunted houses, sleepovers--these are just some of the appealing topics children will find in this collection of simple, fun searches. Each puzzle is organized around a single letter or subject, and there's a word list to guide them as they look. As kids become involved in solving such puzzles as "Parts of the Body," they'll learn to recognize basic, important words--including arm, leg, knee, wrist, and toe--and improve their vocabulary. It's an enjoyable way to set the stage for future reading success.

Since 1947, when the very first TONKA vehicles came out, these sturdy and dependable toys have been family favorites. With these bulldozers, dumpsters, cranes, and trucks in hand, kids have pretended to drive, dig, lift, even construct entire cities. Now, this colorful fleet is about to inspire young artists: art. The appeal of Hasbro’s perennially popular toy combines with the bestselling Pencil, Paper, Draw! series to entice children to create wonderful pictures. By just following the lines, young TONKA fans can capture a big rig, mighty cement mixer, back hoe, and other equipment, along with workers and signs. The result: an entire construction scene!

Skulls and swashbucklers, treasure maps and gold: with this fun and easy-to-follow drawing book, kids can create their own pirate world. Slowly, in manageable stages, they’ll learn how to produce some cool characters, along with all the things associated with these seafaring buccaneers. Each page features several numbered figures, with lines to copy or trace that build the picture. Blue lines are the new additions; black lines were done in a previous step; and gray lines are guides that you won’t need in the final illustration. Make a scary pirate flag; a spooky skeleton pirate with a sword; burly and bearded Peg Leg Pete; Rose, the lady pirate; one-eyed Harpoon Hank; and sea monsters, too!

With more than 250 million TONKA trucks zipping across floors, tables, and other surfaces, these toys have zoomed right into kids’ hearts. And this clever Mix & Match book gives them a chance to play with these terrific vehicles as never before! The variety of permutations as children come up with new machines to build is simply irresistible: Combine the front of a steamroller with the bed of a dump truck, the bucket of a front loader with the arms of a mighty logger, and lots more.

The author of Blood Storm and Iron Axe returns with the third Book of Blood and Iron—where Danr the half-troll must stop two vengeful queens from razing the world to the ground... From their sacred Garden, the three fates control all life and maintain balance in the world. But one of the fates has been captured by the evil elf queen, placing the future of every being, including Death herself, in jeopardy. And only one hero can defeat the elf queen: Danr the half-troll. In order to rescue the missing fate, Danr must first acquire the fabled Bone Sword. Normally Danr would expect his companions to help. However, they are currently in pursuit of a mysterious creature who seems both oddly familiar yet dangerously unknown. But one thing is certain for all of the adventurers: failure is not an option.

There's been a resurgence of interest in phonics as a way for kids to sound out the letters they see on the page and master reading. These puzzles, each focusing on a particular combination of letters, will help them along. Children will delight in working their way through long A sounds (maze, gray, play); short A (crab, grab, jam); hard C (crack, call, cool), the blend of DGE (fudge, nudge, fridge), and more, from "spooky" OO to the "thrill" of TH. As youngsters happily solve the searches, they'll absorb crucial knowledge of fundamental consonant blends and vowels.