When I started out in 2008 the resources were all scattered around on the web, but lately I've found two good Blender books at Borders. After you find out where things are, I can tell you it's the best piece of software you'll ever find!
I've looked at Blender and some of the stuff it is capable of. It is insane how much you can do with a free program. I've seen cartoons that rival the newest from Disney Pixar.