The Time Garden: A Magical Journey and Coloring Book by Daria Song is just what it promises--a magical journey. The illustrations are intentionally black and white inviting the reader to personalize the journey by coloring the book.
The book is almost 10 inches square with a softcover binding. There is, however, an added dust jacket which helps stabilize the cover and prevent the curling edges that softcovers often develop. The jacket has an image on its backside that one could also color. The cover has a scattering of bronze foil. I liked its simplicity and hint of color and would probably just keep it as is but it could also could be colored by the reader.
The story is certainly one that a child will enjoy having read to them but I would leave the coloring to an older child or adult. The pictures are extremely intricate and will take a great deal of time to complete. This is definitely not a disposable type of coloring book, this is a masterpiece and keepsake in the making.
I enjoyed discussing the story with my 8 year old daughter. I was curious whether we had come to the same conclusion at the end of the story. There are many, many interesting and clever details on each page that adults and kids alike will enjoy discovering.
The pages are very thick but I would recommend trying out a marker on one of the endpages to test for bleed through. Given the intricacy of each page, I would worry about the smearing that might occur as your hand goes across the page using markers. I think a high quality pencil will give a much more satisfactory result (without the worry of smearing or bleeding). Markers also have a tendency to fade over time and I'd hate to put hours into an illustration only to have the colors later lose their luster.
Visit Daria Song's Facebook page to view more of her amazing drawings as well as announcements regarding her upcoming books. A few of the Time Garden illustrations are shown in full color and will help offer inspiration before inking your own book.
This could be a wonderful book for someone confined to bed or for anyone needing a way to relieve some stress and relax at the end of the day. Pair some coloring with listening to music, an audiobook, or a television program. Grab a copy of The Time Garden and begin your creative journey today!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of The Time Garden from Blogging for Books for the purpose of review. No other compensation was received.
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