2017
WISE Score
Amazon
A gorgeous deep dive into how the Crystal Gems went from sketches to icons. Perfect for your resident 10-year-old animator.
4.9
4.9View →Our reviews and ratings are 100% unbiased, but as an Amazon Associate, Screenwise earns an affiliate fee if you buy a book or game by clicking one of our links. We don't get any credit if you just Google it instead :)
If your kid is obsessed with Steven Universe, just buy this. It’s not some cheap, thin tie-in; it’s a legitimate masterclass in empathy-driven storytelling.
It’s rare to find a 'making of' book that feels as warm as the show it’s documenting. It treats queer representation and emotional growth as standard operating procedure, not as 'topics' to be handled with kid gloves. For a kid who loves to draw or tell stories, this is essentially a textbook for a career they might actually want one day.
Best for ages 8 to 99. While a 6-year-old will love the colors, the 8+ crowd will actually appreciate the 'how-it's-made' insights and the inclusive storytelling notes.
It mirrors the show's core DNA: kindness, emotional intelligence, and radical self-acceptance. It treats every creative choice as an act of love.
A literal goldmine for creative kids. It shows the messy, iterative process of building a world from scratch, from rough napkins sketches to final frames.
It's a high-quality art book. No hidden nasties, no violence, and the inclusive themes are handled with total normalcy and zero shock value.
Beyond the art, it teaches the 'why' behind storytelling and character design. It's basically a career guide for future animators and writers.
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