The Coloring Book
by Hervé Tullet. Abrams, 2008
The thinking person's coloring book is the best way to describe this coloring book. This book invites, urges and requires the artist to THINK about COLOR.
No popular television or movie or licensed characters here. Follow the directions and you will have to consider COLOR and all its shades and hues.
Some examples:
A series of empty circles progress across the page and the directions say, "Color the shapes, from light to dark and back again." It allows the choice of color to the artist.
Outlined numbers from 0-9 overlap like a collage in the center of the page. The directions ask, "How old are you? Color in the right number" The eye has to isolate the number.
The pages are part puzzle, part I Spy, and engage higher level thinking.
One page features two triangular warning road signs with the symbol for "road work,"one to be colored (probably) in yellow. Do kids notice that warning signs are yellow? Clever! Those directions call on previous knowledge of road signs. Then the second one is labeled: Color in "holiday" colors! The choice of holiday is yours.
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.
A page of flags from around the world invites a dip into a World Almanac or some other reference source to discover the colors.
Visual discernment, color selection, creativity, higher level thinking, and the imagination, are all engaged between the covers of this delightful volume
. Some children might need help reading the instructions.
. Some children might need help reading the instructions. 
A shiny new box of crayons, markers, and water colors along with this book and/or Taro Gomi
's Squiggles: A Really Giant Drawing and Painting Book or Doodles: A Really Giant Coloring and Doodling Book
be a great present to offer at a birthday party, from a grandparent or godparent. These books have no upper age limit. They would work as a graduation gift or something for grown ups needing a "stress" break or just for fun. I found myself longing for the scent of a new box of Crayola crayons as I turned the pages.
3 comments:
My girls have the Squiggle and Doodles coloring books, and the Anti-Coloring Books (Striker/Kimmel) are in my emergency "sub kit!" I'm going to get the Tullet book for ME! Thanks for sharing this!
I'm 27 and I still love to color! This coloring book would be an excellent book for ME! lol Thanks for sharing, I love the idea of a more creative coloring book that makes you think instead of just filling in the lines. I can't wait until my daughter (6 months old) is old enough to start exploring coloring books.
These form part of our summer holiday kit!
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