Great Cake Decorating Books for Beginners

BOOKS:
Hello, Cupcake! by Alan Richardson & Karen Tack *This is my top pick for kid friendly cake ideas & inspiration. The techniques are well explained and illustrated and you DO NOT need any baking or decorating skills to use this book. The cupcake ideas also translate well to cakes.
Did you see Karen Tack on the Martha Stewart Show April 1st? First Karen and Martha chatted over POPCORN. Then they indulged in a BAGEL and LOX with a SCHMEER. Did I mention it was April Fool's Day and they were making CUPCAKES? Check out the segment on Martha's web site

The Confetti Cakes Cookbook by Elisa Strauss
My amazing friend, Elisa's book has projects for every skill level. Kids will love her famous purse cakes and the whimsical cookies and cupcakes. I love her recipes, and her chocolate cake has become our absolute favorite.
(Kids cake book Is available NOW!)

Cartoon Cakes or any of Debbie Brown’s cake decorating books.
If you have an interest in making carved cake shapes or molding characters her books are great at explaining how to do it.Collette Peters I started with books by Colette Peters. Any book by Collette is amazing!Marthastewart.com is a great decorating resource, and there are some good how-to videos on their site.
Here is a great place to start for basic decorating:
http://www.marthastewart.com