Color in quiet contemplation or hum your favorite hymns as you move through the pages of The Psalms in Color.

The black background and intricate pages allow artists to take their time and unleash their creative potential. There are links to some of Maria’s other coloring books after a quick search on Amazon.

Using crayons, felt tip pens, glue, glitter (eek!) and stickers, our testers really enjoyed getting stuck in – we were initially unsure as to whether the lack of direction might put them off, but simply the shape of the paper was enough to fuel their imaginations. Our youngest tester thought the teddy bear was “so cute” and happily doodled over the pages, while the older two took their teddy bear design quite seriously and enjoyed challenging each other to colour different types of bears – more pirate bear and sleepy bear than polar bear and brown bear.

While the craze for coloring books designed for adults is relatively new, dozens of options have popped up in the past decade to help busy adults relax and free their imagination.

Our three, six and nine-year-old testers channelled their inner Picasso to put a huge range of colouring books to the test. We looked at value for money, the illustrations (they had to have proper kid-appeal) and whether they came with any extras like stickers or fun facts.

"Look at all these colors! The markers blend perfectly with the fantastic coloring book I got. I can't wait for their next book release."

Not all adult coloring books need to be filled with fairies and flowers, and Valery Green is proving that point with Princess Horror

In fact, all our testers really loved this book (who wouldn’t be won over by a group of smiley jellyfish, hey?) and it was certainly one they asked for regularly. All this, plus a set of 30 sparkly gem stickers – just the trick for decorating the mermaids’ hair and tails – made it excellent value for money.

We’ve discussed how you can choose the best coloring books for plant or animal lovers, with mazes,  word searches, or ones that are filled with themes that would even make kids want to join in on the fun.

I like it that you've got a category just for cats and am looking forward to coloring them. I also like being able to remove the watermark by watching a short ad. I wish my other Candy Mobile app, Anima Color, let me do this.

Established in 2001, Bendon Publishing steadily builds its reputation as one of the premier publishers of children’s storybooks, activity books, and coloring books. This publisher based in Ohio, USA, continues to have a strong presence in the educational and entertainment markets, producing a lot of engaging and interactive products for young readers and learners.

This short collection of 5 Halloween coloring sheets make fantastic candy alternatives for older trick-or-treaters and could even be framed as some last-minute Halloween wall art.

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When buying a coloring book for adults, look for the quality of the paper to prevent bleeding, the type of patterns available, and if it’s a coloring and activity book combined.