Photo-A-Day 2.0 #01358

I received a free copy of The Art of the National Parks: Coloring Book to check out and review. Opinions are my own.

I am a big fan of coloring books. I love having some colored pencils or crayons to use to just put color on paper and enjoy losing myself in the activity. I also like nature and have been to a few National Parks. This is one fantastic coloring book, not only in the content but the physical book itself. When I first opened it up I was immediately impressed. For one thing when you open up the book the spine lays flat and the pages lay flat so you do not have to keep the left side down with your hand like you normally do with most books. The back cover it a thick hard cardboard, too so you have something firm to color upon. This is perfect.

The content is also phenomenal. There are 63 pages to color and 63 pages of information on the parks. So you have the coloring page on the right side and a description of the park on the left side. It is really informative and interesting. The back of the book has images of each of the pages colored by the artists who created each page.

Here is the official information on the coloring book and how you can order it (with my affiliate link).

The Art of the National Parks: Coloring Book
By Fifty-Nine Parks

The Art of the National Parks: Coloring Book features poster-sized and stylized line-art renderings from the popular Fifty-Nine Parks print series. Using a contemporary take on the famous W.P.A. posters of the 1930s, each coloring image is an original rendition of the artist’s unique perspective on a park, resulting in one-of-a-kind illustrative tributes to the majesty of each national park.

The Art of the National Parks: Coloring Book includes all 63 US National Parks, including the Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone, Zion, Rocky Mountain, Grand Teton, Grand Canyon, Cuyahoga Valley, Acadia, Olympic, Joshua Tree, and more. Many of the posters in this deluxe coloring book are seen in full color in last year’s art book The Art of the National Parks. Learn fascinating facts as you color by reading the brief description of each park included with each poster. Fifty-Nine Parks collaborated with some of the world’s foremost contemporary artists and designers to create original posters that celebrate the unique beauty of the US National Parks.

About the Author

Fifty-Nine Parks believes that public lands and the art of printmaking are traditions worth preserving. Each of Fifty-Nine Parks’ posters are beautifully screen printed in the United States and represent artists from around the world. The poster series is archived by the Library of Congress, and a portion from each poster sale is donated to support the conservation of American public lands.

About Insight Editions:

Celebrated for its unwavering dedication to quality, Insight Editions is a bestselling publisher of books and collectibles that push the boundaries of creativity, design, and production. Through its licensed publishing program, Insight Editions strives to produce unique books and products that provide new ways to engage with fan-favorite characters and stories. Insight Editions’ award-winning art and photography titles celebrate the artistry and history of a wide range of subjects, from rock history to nature conservation. Insight Editions’ New York Times bestsellers include Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams, Henry Winkler’s I’ve Never Met an Idiot on the River, and Radhanath Swami’s The Journey Home. Recent national bestsellers include Friends: The Official Cookbook, Harry Potter: Knitting Magic, and The Elder Scrolls: The Official Cookbook. For more information, visit insighteditions.com.

Photo-A-Day 2.0 #00408

We received a copy of Patrick Barney’s Journey Into the Hinterland to use and review. Opinions are our own.

There are kids coloring books and adult coloring books but what about coloring books for teens and tweens? Coloring is a fun way to relax and chill out. I definitely believe that our teens and tweens need that chill out time more than most. With all the screens and things coming at them it is nice to get some time to unplug and just be creative. So, when I was asked if I wanted to review a new coloring book series from High school teacher-turned-author, Patrick Barney, I said yes.

Patrick has not only made straight up coloring books but also books that are both coloring books and mazes. He’s interwoven his mazes into the narrative of the coloring book adventure. We went with the coloring book A Journey Into the Hinterland. The book has 50 pages for coloring. The style is interesting, it seems like doodles that you would find a tween or teen making. Bug eyed animals that look vaguely like the animals but have a charm to them. There are tons of things to color, too. lots of designs and details and humor. the book has some very humorous pages found within.

Patrick also has a set of books around a couple of characters called Wally & Sidny and Juniper & Sally. His books Wally & Sidny – Travels ($10) and Juniper & Sally – Travels ($10) are sci-fi in theme. They are 71 pages and are both coloring books and elaborate maze books.

“Each page of the maze is pictorial,” explains Barney in one of the newest of his 16 books in Barnes & Noble’s online library, “involving places and creatures shown by Wally & Sidny and Juniper & Sally in their previous ‘Travels’ books. I’m not aware of any other previous maze books done in this style and manner.”

In addition to the aMAZEing book, now online at Barnes & Noble are three more of Barney’s coloring books: Caravan of Creatures, A Journey into the Hinterland and The Floppy Eared Bipedal Pachyderm & Other Oddities. Each paperback retails for $10.

You can learn more about Patrick Barney and his books at www.patrickbarney.com. There you can order his books through Barnes and Noble.com.