The LEGO Zoo: 50 Easy-to-Build Animals by Jody Padulano is a LEGO idea book aimed at younger kids, but useful for old people too.
The book goes through complete LEGO style instruction for building a veritable ark of animals, including a liting of parts (including LEGO part number) and step by step instructions.
The vast majority, probably all, of the pats used for these anmals are parts most LEGO builders will have laying around if you’ve built and stashed a dozen or more kits. There are a few specialized pieces like eyes, that you probably do have some form of. If you need to you can buy pieces st sources suggested in the book.
Helpfully, and as part of the focus on younger audiences, the author gives advice on how to sort and thus more usefully store your LEGO bricks, so you can more easily find the ones you need to build out-of-kit projects like those suggested here.
The book also includes a glossary of LEGO brick types, which is helpful.
This is a great gift for some kid you know, five and up, who has a big pile of LEGs and a Winter Break coming up!
Author Bio
Jody Padulano is an AFOL (Adult Fan of LEGO) born and raised in Rome. Padulano is a computer engineer who divides his time between work and his true passion: LEGO! As an active member of Italian LEGO communities such as ItLug and RomaBrick, Padulano has exhibited his works throughout Italy and abroad.