I ordered “Scribbles” for Pea a few weeks ago, after stumbling onto it accidentally while wasting time on Amazon. I liked it because while most coloring books I’ve seen over the years seem to be character-based, such as ‘Dora’ or ‘My Little Pony,’ this one is the polar opposite. It’s creativity taken to a whole new level. The book was the brainchild of a Japanese illustrator. And as I’ve been discovering more and more fascinating and artistic gems from our friends in Japan, I’m becoming more enchanted with their clean and modern notion of design.

When the book arrived, I couldn’t wait to get it open. I was not disappointed. Described as being for ages 0 – 99, they are not kidding. It’s the most wonderfully basic ‘head-start’ for the artist. You see heads and feet, and nothing in between. Now, draw their clothes.

While I realize that it might be a little ‘older’ than Pea is ready for right now, it’s okay. She craves an artistic outlet that I have found to be liberating and intoxicating. Our projects have taken the two of us to an entirely new level of interaction. And I’ve never seen her put this much effort into coloring before. Ever. She clutches this giant coloring book in her little hands, as if it holds the answer to the meaning of life. I think Pea knows that this book is special.

I don’t keep it out, however. I keep it in our art closet, because it’s something I enjoy doing with her. Ordinarily, when the crayons come out, it means I have a little time to walk away and work on some of the more mundane household tasks: empty the dishwasher, fold the laundry. But when we pull this book out? I’m not going anywhere. We talk about what she’s being asked to do, we discuss what she’s drawing: a dress, a bridge, a mustache. It makes for a lot of creativity, a lot of giggles, and some interesting new vocabulary.

I read on an Amazon review by a buyer that there is one page that might be offensive to parents of younger children: draw a dead person. I have not found this page in the book yet, I am choosing not to skip ahead and ruin the surprise. But out of all of the reviews of the book that I read on Amazon (although I admit I didn’t read each and every one), I only found one person who wrote of this. And I’m okay with this page, if it does in fact exist. If you are not, consider yourself warned…