Customer Reviews

Rackham's Fairy Tale Coloring Book (Dover Classic Stories Coloring Book)

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What a great idea - fairy tales with really detailed, gorgeous illustrations to be colored in. This is sure to give hours and hours of fun quiet time!

One of the most respected artists of the last century, Arthur Rackham brought some of the best loved children's stories to life with his beautiful illustrations. Here, some of Rackham's illustrations for 17 of the Grimm's stories are presented in a colouring book format, and while it would make a wonderful gift for a child, it also makes for a great collector's item for the art connoisseur and fan of Rackham's work. I bought two copies - one to colour, and one to keep as a collector's item! Ed Sibbett, Jr. rendered the 30 colourable illustrations based on Rackham's originals, and each one compliments James Spero's adapted text of 17 of the Grimm's tales. Included in the 64 pages are the classics "Hansel and Gretel", "Little Red Riding Hood", "Snow White", "Sleeping Beauty", "Rapunzel", and more. At Amazon's price, there's definitely value for money in this book.

I decided to revisit my childhood recently, and ordered a stack of coloring books. The Rackham is by far the prettiest of the lot. You can attempt to emulate Rackham's earthy palette, or you can go wild and use every bright color in the box. Either way, you'll have a wonderful time coloring these complex, sinuous, lovely illustrations. And the fairytales are a bonus. Something for when you're sick in bed, or just feeling down and looking for a bit of comfort.

I have been studying Arthur Rackham and trying to emulate his style. Sometimes certain things are so hard to draw, you just can't seem to do it. However, if you can trace over something several times and then try to draw it, it is easier. So I have used this book to tighten my "Rackham" chops. Also my kids and granddaughter never heard of him and it gives me a chance to share my childhood memories with them.