Customer Reviews

The Anti-Coloring Book: Creative Activities for Ages 6 and Up

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

These books are extraordinary for building a child's ego and self-confidence. The books are structured so that the child's imagination and the child's opinions about life are in the spotlight. The anti-coloring books make kids feel good! They are books that actually manage to give kids the attention they need - rather than demanding attention from the kid. The anti-coloring books continually ask questions about the child, her thoughts, her feelings, her visions. They are brilliant mechanisms for encouraging confidence and creativity. From a parent's perspective, the finished books become a window onto the emotional and psychological landscape of your children. What do they really think? What makes them angry? What are they wishing for? I highly recommend any of the anti-coloring books for children of all ages. Mom and Dad should try them too!

I ordered two of these for six year olds but ended up putting them aside for older children. I'd say eight or ten would be the youngest. Also, I was surprised that one page asks the children to draw what they think God looks like. I'm not totally comfortable giving that as a gift. I believe there was also a question about a crime and another about someone they hated. I hope most six year olds don't hate anyone yet. I'm not sure I even want them thinking about it. Anyway, just keep this in mind before you buy. The concept is great, but not sure about the product.

I was given this book as a little girl. As an adult I am purchasing this book to share with my students. So much better than your average coloring bok, this book is thought invoking and inspires creativity in all ages.

As a parent and former early childhood educator, I am pleased to write this review. In a day and age when entertainment does not require much thought process from our young ones (i.e. video games, pointless television shows, computer software, etc.), it is very refreshing to stumble upon the Anti-Coloring Book. Our children are exposed to endless amounts of effort-free fun stuff; and ultimately, young minds become lazy, trained, and forgetful of the power of imagination. How can you say no to a product that fosters developmentally appropriate learning, and promotes self awareness, self confidence, self expression, and independent thinking?? Help your child to break free from the lines and boundaries that hold them back. Kudos to the creators... it's time to get real about our children's needs!

I still remember some of the specific pages I created in my Anti-Coloring Books almost 20 years ago! I had 4 or 5 different books and loved them all. These books encourage creativity, empowering kids to draw and think "outside the lines." I look forward to giving these books to my nieces, nephews, and children in the near future and am thrilled to learn that they're still available.

After recess every day we would be given a page from the Anti Coloring book and allowed to draw to our hearts content for half an hour. It was one of my favorite times of the day.

Not only do I love Anticoloring books but more importantly my kids do! Wouldn't buy them if they didn't. Best part about the book is when they want to show off what they created - these books help make my kids proud of themselves. Want to be Mom of the Year - give these books to your child's teacher. They love 'em and wont stop telling you how great it was that you bought them for the class etc...

It's nice to know that the anti-coloring book of my youth is still around for me to share with my friends and family. I remember many days that I would just sit down and spend a couple of hours doodling, until my parents brought this book home and I was thrilled! It's nice to see the same pleasure and excitement when I shared these books with my family. From both personal experience with this classic book, to my cousins' awesome drawings in the Third and Fourth Anti-Coloring Books, I can assure you that you will be 100% satisfied with this book.

I remember loving this coloring book as a kid, and was surprised to find so many variations! This is a great coloring book for prompting imagination and drawing instead of just coloring in the lines. (Which has it's place, I enjoyed that too) I remember loving the big empty space I could just invent stuff

What I remember the most was that my Dad photocopied the pages and kept them in a drawer so that I could draw on my favorite pages over and over and over and over... It was the best idea ever! The book stayed clean and I could pick my favorites as many times as I wanted, and never worry about my brother "stealing" my page or anything.


If you like this idea, you might also try the "Oodles of Doodles" book - the pictures are more simplistic (like they were drawn with a crayon) but it's the same principle. :)

I am a high school teacher, and use pages from this book to keep my study hall kids quiet (and awake) if they haven't brought homework to do.

This book features 45 picture pages that promote creative thought and imagination. Much like MS Word page borders, the pages have only minor illustrations with large blank spaces for the participant to fill in. Then, there's a prompt at the bottom-- things like:

Where are these birds flying to?
You are a scuba diver and you have just made the most exciting underwater discovery. What have you found?
Design a postage stamp for the first letter mailed from Mars.
You have discovered a poisonous flower growing in your garden. Scientists have asked you to draw a picture of it, name it, and tell something about how you found it.

These prompts alone wouldn't be sufficient for most people. Many kids would be bored with tasks like these. BUT THEN, the pictures on the pages evoke more imagination! It's genius-- they make you want to draw/color, and they make your drawings feel significant. You want to do a thorough job, to make the page complete. There's a "WANTED" poster, a newspaper front page, and much more. Whenever I give students the pages, I am always slightly envious that I'm not the one who will be filling it out! Nonetheless, it makes me understand my students even more when I see which pages they've chosen, and what they've done with them. This is so much better than a coloring book, and tons of fun.