American illustrator Charley Harper's "minimal realism" style, which I gushed about after seeing his ABC book, makes for a wonderful coloring book. The pictures are detailed but not fussy, which means my older kids and littlest scribbler can all enjoy deciding what colors to make his happy dog, little bird or delicate ladybug. And, as someone whose refrigerator is absolutely covered in my kids' works of art, I appreciate that the pictures are printed on only one side of the page and, therefore, ready to hang wherever there is still space.
I imagine that some artists may balk at the notion of others treating their works as coloring pages, but I think Charley Harper would have welcomed seeing his art interpreted by children who still look at the natural world with wonder in their eyes. even if his sweet mama and baby koalas do end up green and magenta. -Christina
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