Even if you don’t remember the name, if you’re of a certain age, you’d probably recognize the book covers. Sammy the Seal and Danny and the Dinosaur
I have fond memories of reading Hoff’s books as a child. I remember that when I was 7 or 8 and suddenly realized that I wanted to learn how to draw well, I went to my school library and found one of Syd Hoff’s books on drawing cartoons. I went on to draw tons of cartoons of superheroes and mutant rats and the rest of the typical eight-year-old’s drawing repertoire, and then took art lessons, and now I’m 20 and still draw all the time. I’ve gone on to much more realistic stuff, but I must say that Hoff’s really simple instructions on how to draw simple cartoons of pigs and race cars and such probably were the impetus for me to continue, since it was so easy to follow the instructions and get a nice-looking cartoon. For that initial motivation, I owe him my eternal gratitude.