Introverts Unite to Color! But Separately and In Your Own Homes: A Comically Calming Adult Coloring Book for Introverts, from H.R. Wallace Publishing

 

Color on! Go dig out your colored pencils or markers or a long forgotten box of crayons. There's fun to be had here. There's something relaxing about simply sitting down in a comfy chair and coloring a picture. We knew it as children but somehow forgot this simple pleasure as we aged. 

While this collection targets introverts, it should be a fun, relaxing activity for all, even if you tend to color outside the lines. I could go into great detail about the benefits but, well, fun tops the list for me. I've always enjoyed coloring and have several adult coloring books scattered about at any given time. The drawings just begging to be colored here are humorous and offer the chance for lots of color choices. My only qualm was that although there is a dog in one of the pictures, this one was probably largely designed with cat people in mind. No matter. Still fun.

The drawings are cute and funny. See the cover. There are 58 pages with fun sayings. Each drawing occupies a full page with the facing side blank, meaning you can easily remove said artwork without having to choose one side over the other. I had the ebook version, so can't address the quality of the paper but given the design, lean toward it probably being quite appropriate for most coloring tools, maybe even paints. No author/illustrator credited, so probably done in house by the publishers. 

Kudos to the creators who managed one of my favorite sayings since covid appeared, "It's too peopley outside." Another, although I'd have to change the "cat" to "dog", was "I'd love to but my cat and I already have plans." "Enjoy the silence" was another appropriate one for those of us who crave the peace of silence and nothing but a furry pet to distract us from out books, ie "Not today. I'm already booked". Bottom line, lots of fun. Thanks #NetGalley and #HRWallacePublishing for the creative inspiration.

Bird Book for Kids: Coloring Fun and Awesome Facts, by Katie Henries-Meisner, Andre Sibayan (Illustrator)

 Publication Dec. 5, 2023

What a delight. This book may have been written for children but I've got a sneaking suspicion grown up kids will enjoy it, too. 

You're not going to learn each and every fact about the birds discussed, of course, but that isn't the intention. It's meant to introduce us to a variety of birds, some well known and even common to most areas, others less familiar to us. I liked that although basic information was shared, the author doesn't give specific coloring for each. In other words, the pictures to color are wide open to one's imagination. It follows a simple format, too. First, an introduction page I'll call it, giving very basic facts with a drawing of the bird. The author then shares more info, most of it quite interesting and intriguing. I mean, do you know which bird's head changes color depending on its mood or activity? How about which one can live up to 100-years in captivity? Many fun facts like this are shared. 

Then, after this, there's a separate page to color of the bird. I had the digital version but am assuming based on its format that these pages are deliberately blank on the back side, a fun plus for those who might want to remove the picture to color outside the book. Another fun plus, there are smaller versions of each bird in the back meant to be colored and used as trading cards of a sort. This would be quite fun in a camp or classroom setting where children could freely color and trade cards of their favorites. Learning while having fun. 

Bottom line, a fun, informative book that not only offers coloring but aids in bird identification and provides information almost without the used knowing it. Thanks #NetGalley and #Zeitgeist - #ZKids for allowing me an early peek into this fun book. Given the abundance of chickadees in my yard, it was great to see them included.