Drawing is not very different from riding a bicycle, whistling, or cooking a tortilla: learning any of these things just takes a little practice and a sense of humor.

For example, to draw an elephant, you start with a teapot. Next add eyes and tusks, finish with a tail and four legs . . . ta-da, you’ve got your elephant! And how do you draw a horse? First, draw an elephant.

Start with a Teapot is utmost nonsense and unarguable logic. How do you draw a snail, a stapler, a butterfly, a eukaryotic cell? How do you draw poop? Enric Lax inspires his readers to observe, transform, tell stories and make mistakes—that’s how to draw.