I love this.

I've read a number of Barry's books before, both fiction and nonfiction, and while I've liked most of them, I don't recall giving any of them more than three stars. Her characters often resonate with me more than her drawing, but this? This was wonderful all through. It's basically a book designed to encourage people to draw. Who cares if you're not good at art? Trace this monkey character and colour it in, and pay no attention to people who roll their eyes at you for trying. Creativity, Barry argues, is less the result than the act, or the attempt.

As someone who is hopeless at art, this may be the most encouraging have-a-go book I've ever seen. Not that I've read many have-a-go-at-art books, but you get the drift. It's stuffed full of whimsical figures - such as the near-sighted monkey, who acts as a guide - and entertaining one-liners. My favourite: the book suggests, when sad, to make a chicken by pasting cotton wool in the shape of a fowl onto cardboard. A picture of a depressed elephant-like creature leaves a note on the bottom of the page: "At first I thought the chicken was crappy looking but then I had my heart broken and making that crappy chicken was the only thing that made me feel better. Signed, Mr. Trunk."

I should not have cackled at sad, chicken-making Mr. Trunk. I did anyway. Sympathetic and enchanted. Then there's the rest: "There is nothing lame about drawing fungus." The banana pancake mix in the washing machine. The endless swarms of bats. The proper etiquette of disposing of banana peels when a guest in someone's house. The sad, doomed relationship between Mr. Trunk and Mr. Beak. Play in the sun, you vampire! Don't cigarettes.

Whenever I rate a book five stars on review sites like this, it's a reminder to myself that I have to go buy a copy. (Nearly all my reading material comes from the library. I make a note to buy what I don't want to give back.) I want my own copy of this - it's absolutely delightful. And encouraging. But mostly delightful.