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Torno Debus has launched a Kickstarter campaign for Coloring Made Yeasy. We’ve embedded a video about the project above.

According to the Kickstarter page, this 24-page coloring book features Kanye West “dressed like famous historical peoples and fictional characters.” In this book, the popular hip hop artist can be seen in outfits inspired by Santa Claus, the Easter bunny, and Che Guevara.

Welcome to our Kickstarter Publishing Project of the Week, a feature exploring how authors and publishers are using the fundraising site to raise money for book projects. If you want to start your own project, check out How To Use Kickstarter to Fund Your Publishing Project.

Have you ever wanted to travel through time? The video embedded above features the book trailer for the Doctor Who Coloring Book.

This adult coloring book contains illustrations of galaxies, the Doctor, the TARDIS, and more. Penguin Random House will publish this book on Feb. 16, 2016. (via The Fandom)

Recently, I have seen many articles about coloring books for adults (like this one). I paid little attention because I was so ahead of this trend.

You see, my right-out-of-college boyfriend and our group of friends were super into board games. Initially I tried to play, but it became very clear to all of us very quickly that no one wanted that: I didn’t understand the rules; I didn’t want to understand the rules; I was bored; I was frustrated; and I made the game miserable for anyone trying to play with me. But if I didn’t play I felt left out, which meant I would pester them while they tried to concentrate.

So my then-boyfriend bought me coloring books and colored pencils. The group of us would go to the bar, they would focus in on the game, I would focus in on my coloring, and we would all speak distractedly to each other over booze and activities.

And that is how I was preemptively cool.

But then, I ♥ My Hair: A Coloring Book of Braids, Coils, and Doodle Dos (Schwartz & Wade, November 2015) by Andrea Pippins came across my desk. The Horn Book doesn’t review activity books (and this may be an adult book?) but I instantaneously fell in love with it. Pippins writes in her forward, “As an artist and a designer, I’m all about self-empowerment for women and girls, and much of my artwork over the years has been inspired by social, political, and cultural statements that can be made with hair…Inside this book, you’ll find pages filled with doodles that continue to celebrate my love for black hair, and my passion for inspiring all women and girls to feel good about themselves.”

What follows is a riot of up-dos, curls, waves, and braids to color. The illustrations are intricate, bold, and dazzling, with many double-page spreads of impressive styles such as the “South Indian Bejeweled Bridal Braid,” the “Marie Antoinette,” and the “Diana Ross.” Sayings (“Relax & let your hair go free!”) and accoutrements are displayed proudly and beautifully, the book expressing over and over again “I love my hair.”

I love this book.

I spent part of my day listening to calming music and filling in the double-page spread of short hairdos (“Go cropped & coily or short & spiky”).

One of our interns, Julia, started one and blew mine out of the water:

This is a perfect coloring book for a meticulous colorer — adult or youth — with a message that is extremely valuable. Get it. Give it. Color it. Love it.

The post Things I Did Before They Were Cool: Coloring Book Edition appeared first on The Horn Book.

Crayola has developed a line of adult coloring books.

According to Gizmodo, artist Claudia Nice created the illustrations for the Color Escapes series. The four books feature the following artistic themes: geometric, kaleidoscope, nature, and garden.

Here’s more information from the Crayola website: “Color Escapes pages are printed on professional quality sketching paper to receive color from colored pencils or markers without bleed through. The oversized pages are perfect for framing so you can enjoy your creation anytime in your favorite room, or give as a gift to friends and family.”

Enter to win a copy of Mistakes Are Proof That You Are Trying, by Samantha Snyder. Giveaway begins July 1, 2015, at 12:01 A.M. PST and ends July 31, 2015, at 11:59 P.M. PST.

Can YOU color Bryan Hitch or Carlos Pacheco? Is your crayon shading up to the task of finding the light source? Or staying on model? You’ll soon get the chance to find out, as Marvel is releasing three new coloring books for adults. One is Little Marvel by Skottie Young which is great fun and fairly colorable. The other two are AGE OF ULTRON and CIVIL WAR. Frankly, I think that Age of Ultron page would drive anyone insane, but I guess the stakes have been raised considerably in coloring book tech.

Would you tackles these with crayons, colored pencils, Doc Martin, or something else?

You’ve read the comics. You’ve experienced these iconic and groundbreaking stories. Now it’s time to experience the Marvel Universe like you never have before – as a coloring book! Today, Marvel is pleased to announce a new line of adult coloring books featuring some of Marvel’s most iconic characters, stories and artwork to delight fans the world over! Yes, you heard right True Believer – the Marvel Universe has action, excitement and adventure. Now all it needs is YOU!
“Around the world there are several other coloring books for adults hitting the bestseller lists and with Marvel being the premier graphic storytelling medium, now is the perfect time for us to join this latest book market trend,” says David Gabriel, SVP Sales and Marketing, Marvel. “With Marvel’s Adult Coloring books, fans can add their own personal style to classic Marvel stories. This truly is a way for fans of all ages to be a part of the creative process and bring their personal artistic style to these epic Marvel events.”
First, the Avengers face their darkest hour as the metallic menace Ultron stands over a ravaged Earth in the AGE OF ULTRON COLORING BOOK. Only a few of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes are left standing. And it’s up to you to put the color back into their last ditch effort to save mankind! Featuring the line art of Bryan Hitch, Brandon Peterson, Carlos Pacheco and more, this is your chance to color inside the lines, or outside the lines, of this blockbuster Marvel event!
 
Then, the Eisner award-winning, fan-favorite artwork of Skottie Young comes to life in the LITTLE MARVEL BY SKOTTIE YOUNG COLORING BOOK! Featuring dozens of Young’s beloved covers and irresistible interior pages, this is one you won’t want to miss!
 
Finally, ask yourself –  whose side are you on? More importantly, do you want to make them red, blue, green or yellow? Go inside one of the biggest Marvel events of all time with the CIVIL WAR COLORING BOOK! Captain America and Iron Man stand divided, along with the entire superhuman community. And it’s up to you to put the hue back in these huge Super Hero battles!
 
So dig out those crayons, markers and colored pencils and prepare to return the color to the Marvel Universe, True Believer. But don’t forget your imagination – you’re going to need it! Channel your creative energies, unwind after a hard day’s work, or just relive your childhood memories! Look for the AGE OF ULTRON COLORING book in October with the CIVIL WAR COLORING BOOK and LITTLE MARVEL BY SKOTTIE YOUNG COLORING BOOK to follow later in 2016!
 
AGE OF ULTRON COLORING BOOK
72 Pages….$7.99
On Sale in October!
 
LITTLE MARVEL BY SKOTTIE YOUNG COLORING BOOK
On Sale February 2016!
 
CIVIL WAR COLORING BOOK
On Sale April 2016!

Art activity books can serve as a wonderful meditative tool to help reduce stress, refocus and recharge the brain, and spark inspiration.

Teaser... Why is "THE BEDBUG WHO WOULDN'T BITE" so excited? Why is he singing and dancing and celebrating? How come he can change his color?—What happened to cause this? Coming soon, the first COLORING BOOK with captions that begin Bedbug's coming colorful journeys... Become a Follower at this site for chances to win Bedbug Books I & II.

 3.5 Stars
Chase Danger, Super Spy: The Mystery of the Special Sauce
Chase & Lisa Olivera
Magic Fire
978-0-9836574-0-8
No. Pages: 32   Ages: 2 to 7
 

………………………..

From Back Cover: Chase Danger is the world’s youngest super spy, ready to fight villains wherever they appear! In his first adventure he battles a giant octopus and terrifying scorpion, builds a super flying car, and takes a quick trip to space. All before dinner!

Book

Chase Danger is a six-year-old super spy who really began his crime-fighting career at age two, when he rescued a friend’s pet canary from the villain Mr. Crocs, who vowed revenge. The story opens with Chase climbing a mountain, where he defeats a gang of thugs run by Igor Fimple. Fimple jumps off the mountain after giving Chase a cryptic message.

Often, we must suspend our beliefs to read and enjoy fiction and fantasy. Occasionally, the story expects us to suspend more than we are willing or can and still enjoy the story. Chase Danger is one of those occasions.  Chase, at six, has the ability to build super machines overnight, single-handedly defeat a gang of six large muscled men, pilot flying saucers, destroy odd objects, save himself and others, and lie to his parents without guilt.

This is not because Chase has all these abilities: to build things super quickly; fancy super spy equipment hidden where he needs it, when he needs it, “just in case”; or that he has clueless parents. The problem is the story lacks balance. If I counted correctly, Chase accomplishes 23 major actions within the 26 pages of actual story. Leaving out the two pages of his conquests at age two, and there is nearly one major action scene per page of story. There is no balance or any time to take a breather. Chase Danger is scene after scene of action—action, action, action . . .

Both villains get away. Shouldn’t super spies defeat the villains too? Are these two villains, Igor Fimple and Mr. Crocs, working together?  There needs to be less action and more story.

The illustrations draw out the hyper-spy story perfectly. The colors are bright and fill the page. Kids will love these. There is a feel of an action movie to the illustrations. Chase is a story with nothing but action and the illustrator did a great job capturing all of it. The illustrations will sell this book.

Chase is a one-boy wrecking crew. He is a super-spy for the younger set, defeating adult villains, yet the villains always escape. Perhaps to cause serial crimes? Young boys seven and under are the obvious audience who will like this book, and its hero, Chase Danger. They are young enough to see themselves as Chase, the super-spy. Older boys, older than age eight, may be reluctant to suspend their belief and accept a six-year-old as a super spy, even one like Chase, with all his super abilities.

Read-Along CD

Chase Danger also comes with a “Read-Along CD.” Chase Danger on CD is the exact story, word for word, as the book version. Listening to the story was leaps and bounds ahead of reading it. The special effects heard on the CD are superb. Fighting, bombs exploding, and lasers shots, are some of the effects kids will love.

The background music is loud, so keep the volume at a lower setting. The many performers did a good job. The best, with superb inflections, variations in tone, and well characterized is the villain Igor Fimple. He also has the longest speech when he tells everyone what he is trying to do. In Chase Danger, in any story, it is better to SHOW the reader, rather than simply TELLING us.  That is basic creative writing 101

If your child likes action and lots of it, I suggest he listen to the CD and follow along. The interactive CD brings the story to life, and though it sounds like a cartoon (a wonderful sounding cartoon), the large amount of action is not as distracting and any holes in the story go unnoticed.

Boys, and some girls, will love the well-done, studio quality Read-Along CD.  Don’t simply listen to the CD. Read the book too, else you will miss the wonderful illustrations in Chase Danger, Super Spy: The Mystery of the Special Sauce.

Chase Danger, Super Spy: Mystery of the Special Sauce

Authors: Chase & Lisa Olivera   website  coloring book
Illustrator: Adam Goodman   website
Publisher: Magic Fire Music  Facebook   soundtrack
ISBN: 978-0-9836574-0-8
Release Date: 2011
Number of Pages: 32
Ages: 2 to 7
.................

I spent a couple of FANTASTIC days this past week at Austin Academy for Excellence, a magnet middle school in…

When I was a teenager, my little sister got into the Where’s Waldo? books.  I certainly didn’t admit it at the time – so of course I’ll admit it publicly now as a blogger – but, at 17, I totally loved those books too.  It took me so long to memorize where Waldo was on every page and, after I did that, I was able to look at all the other people and look for all the other objects.  The fun was endless, it seemed.  At any age.

That’s exactly how I feel about EVERYTHING GOES: ON LAND by Brian Biggs.  In this oversized picture book, Henry and his dad drive around town, looking at everything that goes.  It’s interactive and bright, and we have so many ways you can use it in your libraries and classrooms:

• EVENT KIT
• DOWNLOADABLE ACTIVITIES
• DOWNLOADABLE COLORING BOOK

And check out this darling book trailer:

So here’s the great news!  We’re giving away THREE COPIES of EVERYTHING GOES: ON LAND!  Post a note to us in the comments telling us what your preferred method of transportation on land is and we’ll enter you to win a copy of the book.  You have until Sunday, September 25th at 11:59 p.m. EST to enter, and I’ll announce the winners next week.  Open to U.S. and Canada only.

I had the fortunate opportunity to attend Book Expo America this year and was introduced to so many new books and more! One of the booths that caught my eye was that of Hawk's Nest Publishing.

Hawk's Nest Publishing LLC is a publisher of coloring and activity books, but what makes them stand out from others is how they focus on sports. After all, Hawk's Nest Publishing was founded in 2006-- honoring the memory of Francis "Hawk" Connery, a well known coach and advocate for youth sports from Springfield, Massachusetts.

The creation of their first Coloring and Activity book was inspired by a family love of baseball shared by Peg Connery-Boyd and her three sons, Kevin, Ian, and Colin Boyd, who initially admired a sketch of Manny Ramirez that she had drawn.

Young readers/ artists will love these activity books such as the Hawk's Nest Publishing MLB New York Yankees Coloring Book and the Hawk's Nest Publishing MLB Boston Red Sox Coloring Book. Fans can color their favorite players, complete games and puzzles,  and even connect-the-dots. Challenge your knowledge of players' numbers, and even complete a page about yourself that states who you're favorite player is and what your favorite position is.

If you live in a household enamored by sports, these are just what you need to keep your little fans busy, all while showing their team spirit!

Scribbles, Doodles and Squiggles:

A Really Giant Coloring and Doodling Book

by Taro Gomi

Chronicle Books, 2006 and 2007

$19.99 each, ages 3-99.

Gomi has single-handedly re-energized the coloring book format with three engaging books that will inspire readers' imaginations for trips to come.

Inside each book, children not only color pictures (which are fun and quirky), but draw their own details from whimsical prompts.

On one page, doodlers are asked to put shoes on a giraffe; on another, draw what they think is springing out of a Jack-in-the-Box.

Be sure to bring along colored pencils and a book for each child. (Even good sharers may have trouble sharing this one.)

The Most Amazing Thumb Doodles Book in the History of the Civilized World

by the editors of Klutz, 2008

$14.95, ages 8 and up

That's a lot of hype for thumb prints, but this is one cute doodle book.

Artists get 16 scenes to make their own, from a rock face for finger climbers to scale to a boxing ring for thumb wrestlers to duke it out.

On the left side of every spread are step-by-step instructions for making characters they'd likely see in the scene. For instance, in a castle scene, there's a how-to for a fire-breathing finger dragon, a noble prince and his teary-eyed princess.

There are also handy tips to prevent smudges and to clean up inky finger tips, and to the side of the book are square

The Coloring Book by Hervé Tullet. Abrams, 2008

A maze that appears to be a tangle of spaghetti invites the artist to select a strand and follow its twistings and turnings with their crayon. 

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By: Lizzy Burns, on 4/21/2009
Blog: A Chair, A Fireplace and A Tea Cozy (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:  reviews, coloring books, Add a tag

Why, what do we have here?

Not one, not two, but THREE books to be won.

Copies of Rosie Flo's Coloring Book; Rosie Flo's Garden Colouring Book; and Rosie Flo's Animals Coloring Book have been donated by the publisher, Chronicle Books.

Chronicle Books shows once again how to do a coloring book. The pages are thick; there will be no bleeding through of colors. The pages invite markers, paint, water colors, and why yes, even crayons.


The Rosie Flo coloring books are the creation of English artist, Roz Streeten. As she explains here, her daughters inspired this line of coloring books: "The Rosie Flo colouring books evolved through hours of sitting and drawing with my daughters when they were small. . . . Dresses were the most popular items demanded of me and Sophie (now 12) would then do the faces, arms and legs. . . . Sasha (now 8) became obsessed with simply colouring-in.... I was fascinated with how they both maintained such prolonged interest with this way of drawing and felt there must be other like minded girls around."



All there books offer the best of both worlds, then; intricate dresses to be colored in, but blank space for the unlimited imagination of the young (or old) artist.

Want to look inside? The publisher's website offers a "look inside" feature.

Want to win?

OK, here are the rules. Sweet and simple.

The contest runs until next Tuesday, April 28th.

To enter, leave a comment about something coloring-book related. Your favorite coloring book; whether you HAD to stay within the lines or refused to make leaves green; your favorite Crayola crayon color; anything at all.

You have to leave your name (yes, you can use your blogging/commenting name for the comments) and an email address (I'll need a way to get in touch with you.)

I'll draw names at random, and announce the winners on Friday, May 1st.

A final word on just how cool these coloring books are:

They have their own youtube video.

No, I'm serious:




© Elizabeth Burns of A Chair, A Fireplace & A Tea Cozy

17 Comments on Rosie Flo's Coloring Books Contest, last added: 5/12/2009

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Wendy said, on 4/21/2009 7:54:00 AM

(My email address is burtonwl at yahoo.com)

When I was in fifth grade, the lengthy unit on colonial/revolutionary American history included a lot of coloring. We had packets of worksheets with questions about history and illustrations we had to color. I was a world-weary child and would have felt this was a stupid assignment in second grade, so I didn't bother doing the coloring the first time. When I got marked down, the next time I colored, fuming. Then I was marked down for using inaccurate colors for the clothing. I swear, there was no mention of what colors we could use previously, but anyway I chose the indigo crayon because I remembered indigo being mentioned in The Witch of Blackbird Pond.

I mentioned this to my teacher and did not win any points, actual or metaphorical.

Nicole Politi said, on 4/21/2009 8:09:00 AM

(email: nicole.politi @ gmail.com)

I grew up in Bethlehem, PA - very close to the Crayola Factory. When I visited with my parents, I remember thinking I wanted to take a swim in a mixture of multifarious crayola crayon shavings. I still dream about it sometimes, but in my dreams, the shavings are edible!

~Nicki

Rie said, on 4/21/2009 8:46:00 AM

My favorite part of coloring books were the white inside covers that I could draw on!

You think my parents would catch on and buy me just blank books or blank paper, but for some reason they never did...

Jen said, on 4/21/2009 8:53:00 AM

I loved making darker lines for an outline and then coloring in the inside of that very lightly. It made for a more striking effect!
JenP [email protected]

Charlotte said, on 4/21/2009 9:05:00 AM

Both my parents prided themselves on their coloring skills, and I vividly remember a bitter argument one night when I was eight or so about whether my mother's picture of Peter Rabbit was better than the one of Jeremy Fisher my father had colored.

My favorite things to color were the princesses my mother drew for me.

Eva M said, on 4/21/2009 9:54:00 AM

I didn't much like coloring books as a kid (find them rather soothing now, though), although I did appreciate my dad's tip of coloring in an area lightly with one color (dark blue, say), and then coloring over it lightly with another color (maybe light blue or yellow). Tres sophisticated results that wowed the whole class!

My kids loved the Anti-coloring Books (there are at least 6 now)...

Eva Mitnick
evasbookaddiction at gmail.com

Jill said, on 4/21/2009 10:06:00 AM

I loved coloring books when I was growing up (and even after I was grown up). I had the whole 98 crayola set & arranged them by color, testing them to make sure what color they actually were since sometimes the wrapper does not represent exactly. It was never a good day when the box tipped over and they all fell out.
jill.wehrheim at gmail.com

tanita davis said, on 4/21/2009 10:37:00 AM

Oh, my gosh! - Liz, are these British? (Noted the weird 'u' in coloring.) I shall look for them -- I just had a friend over in our severely under-furnitured student flat, and we lay on the floor, unrolled a piece of paper from packing, and went to town with markers, watercolor pencils, stamps, and crayons. I used to draw headless dressed torsos for my sister in church, too. She would LOVE this, even at 13. I'm not in the running for the contest, being in Scotland, but I'm definitely going to try and find these!

liznwyrk said, on 4/21/2009 1:58:00 PM

Oh, Coloring! I still color. Especially when I get stressed out. I'm 31. People often look at me funny when I do this in public, say at a restaurant that offers coloring pages and a plastic wrapped primary color crayon package. But I love filling in what another person has so carefully structured for me. I've taught high school for years and directed student productions- usually I am the one having to create a structure within which others can shine. Coloring is meditative and yet, when you are done, you actually have something tangible and beautiful to show for your time.

Thanks for giving me a space to profess my undying love for the coloring book! [email protected]

Miss Tammy said, on 4/21/2009 2:14:00 PM

I still cannot color in the lines and I'm 30 years old. Yes, I'm expecting you to mock me now.

Megan said, on 4/21/2009 2:46:00 PM

When I was about 10 years old, my best friend and I made our own coloring books by neatly ripping our our favorite pages from other coloring books. We each had about 100 pages. Then we grew tired of coloring before we finished and moved on to our next obsession.

holly cupala said, on 4/21/2009 3:32:00 PM

Small daughter (age 4) and I spend quite a lot of our time coloring these days! Those Rosie Flo books remind me of the paper doll clothes I used to draw when I was daughter's age (for Tubby and Lulu!).

MaryGLibrarian said, on 4/21/2009 8:10:00 PM

Did you ever step on a crayon on a tile floor in the middle of the night when going to the kitchen to get a sick child a cup of ice water?
My kids are lucky that I haven't thrown the whole lot of them out yet. Nonetheless, we have hundreds - possibly every color Crayola has made in the last 9 years.

[email protected]

Kathy said, on 4/21/2009 8:43:00 PM

love to color with my daughter - very relaxing - and I don't even care if I stay in the lines! And I just loved the name of the crayloa crayon - Burnt Sienna - although the color looks a little like baby poo - LOL!

[email protected]

Fiona said, on 4/22/2009 12:29:00 AM

I was the oldest of three children, and a very mean older sister was I. I convinced my sister and brother that when you coloured with textas, they were magic. You should colour recklessly, not worrying if you went out of the lines, because when you closed the book and left it for a while, it would magically turn into the most perfect colouring ever, looking just like a coloured book illustration.

Fiona

[email protected]

Noel De Vries said, on 4/23/2009 4:26:00 PM

When I think of coloring books, I think of my cousin, who moved to the US from Romania (and married into the family.) She's a riot, and her English is a delight to the cochlea. She visits family every so often, and on her trans-Atlantic flights, colors for eight solid hours. She raises one eyebrow when she tells this story, shrugging both shoulders. "I look up and say what?! We're here already? They proobably tink I'm like a little girl, but I don't care. I love to color!"

:)

noeldevries86 at gmail.com

sarah said, on 4/25/2009 2:12:00 PM

I love to color....even now I'll sit down with my kids to do a Strawberry Shortcake page!!! What cute books these are! Email is [email protected]

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Okay so I've FINALLY spotted my coloring books in my local Michael's Arts & Crafts store. I've been told by others nationwide that they've seen the coloring books in their Michael's store, but ... well, you know how long it takes to ship stuff to Alaska! :P 

These were done back  in January for Playmore Books, one of several projects I've completed for this publisher. I just loved Playmore and was thrilled when they called because I always loved their stuff when I was growing up - it's always been everywhere, and they have such nice and colorful artwork! And now that I think about it, it's weird that as a kid I actually CARED who the publisher was, or that I even checked! Must indeed be my destiny. :O)

Yes, it is VERY difficult nowadays to pick up any children's book or product without checking who publishes it. The habit kind of rubbed off, so now my daughter is doing it, too!

It was fun seeing my work in a chain in-town for a change, it's something that not very many people can experience in their lifetime (not everyone's a professional artist, after all). And it's a wonderful experience indeed. I love being able to hold something printed by the tens of thousands and say "I illustrated this!" and it's great knowing more about it than anyone else -  knowing it's entire history, like how many times I had to start over, how any given cover looked as a concept sketch, what concept drawings came before it, and so on. Just an attachment to the work that others can't have, because they didn't slave away over it. :O)

Even though it's this grand "work of art" for me (funny as that may sound), I'm very well aware that somewhere out there, some kid probably tore the cover, maybe soaked it in water (you know, for fun!), or wrote all over it in black crayon, to the point where it's BEYOND recognition ... but hey, at least the kid liked it in the first place, and that made me successful as a commercial artist! If they print tens of thousands, and they sell, then I did my job well!

You know, often times I think I think too much! :P But I know you creatives out there know what I mean, or at least have an idea!

1 Comments on I've Spotted Them!, last added: 7/3/2008

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Lisa M Griffin said, on 7/3/2008 10:57:00 AM

WOW! Congratulations. That must have been quite the feeling to walk into a store and see your books staring back at you.
Great work.

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