Millie Marotta's Coloring Adventure

Gr 3 Up—One of the noteworthy publishing trends of 2015 was coloring books for adults. These books point to the activity's potential to help people de-stress, and, often, to focus. Kids, of course, have long been fans of coloring, and while some of the books published for the adult market are mature in nature, many can be shared with children.Now, along comes a coloring book for the iPad, and it looks like the trend has successfully made the leap to digital. The developer notes that "after just one week" the app was downloaded 100,000 times. Whether or not you believe in the restorative power of coloring, the starter pack is free and worth a try.Marotta is the author of two coloring books, and, by her own account, has a "mild obsession with all things flora and fauna." Characteristic of her artwork are intricate images featuring splashes of color. The app offers five pictures to paint and a palette of colors to choose from. Artists can color by finger (the zoom-in feature helps), but any hope (or desire) of staying within the lines requires an iPad-compatible stylus, with the Apple Pencil (on iPad Pro) recommended. Users can start over or erase if they are not satisfied with their work, and masterpieces can be saved and/or shared on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. The app is available in a number of languages. Coming soon are "Birds" and "Botanical"—add-on packs of pictures to purchase. A trailer is available.—Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal