Adult coloring books are the big story in the publishing world with titles popping up on best-seller lists.  There are even coloring groups where people get together to color much like people used to get together to quilt. The reason for their popularity is that they are tremendously good for stress relief and something calming to do in our high-pace world. An article by a recently converted fan on Book Riot tells how suspicious she was of this activity since she hadn’t colored since she was child, but she and her husband agreed to disconnect from all devices, phones, tablets, computers, televisions one hour before bed to decompress, and that she tried coloring in that hour and she loves how relaxing and low-pressure an activity it is.

For libraries, coloring in a book is not an approved idea, but we will set aside that rule for our new collection of adult coloring books. You may color to your heart’s content, return the book with your art inside, or rip it out to keep.  We are even checking out boxes of colored pencils to make it easier.

At the moment we have four dozen coloring books with another dozen on order.  They come in all types and on all subjects. “Tropical World: A Coloring Book Adventure” by Millie Marotta brings exotic creatures and plants to life as you explore the rainforest and find extraordinary flowers, birds, butterflies and reptiles waiting to be filled with vibrant tropical color.

 “Dazzling Flowers” by Nona Meyers is a color by number book for those who are a little scared of all these color choices with 35 directed colors to use. “Wildlife,” “Owls,” “American Landscapes” and “Soothing Landscapes” also provide color keys for guidance.

 “Soul of the Woodland” by Suzy Joyner and “Adult Coloring Book: Stress Relieving Patterns” are both designed to bring out your creativity and let your mind relax.

Johanna Basford’s “Enchanted Forest” takes readers on an inky quest through an enchanted forest to discover what lies in the castle at its heart while “The Time Garden” by Daria Song is a whimsical cuckoo clock-inspired world.

There are holiday inspired coloring books including “Autumn,” “Halloweenscapes,” “Magic Christmas,” “Creative Christmas Coloring” and “Christmas Trees.”  There are art-inspired themed books including “Art Masterpieces to Color,” “Art Nouveau Animal Designs,” “Tiffany Designs,” “Color Your Own Italian Renaissance,” “Celtic Design Coloring Book,” and “Famous Buildings of Frank Lloyd Wright.”

You can become “Entangled,” involved with “Geoscapes,” fascinated by “Creative Cats,” immersed in “Mosaics,” captivated by “Delightful Designs” and riveted with the intricacies of “Animal Designs.”

The library also has around a dozen sets of color pencils as well as a few sets of gel pens for you to check out and get started.  This is a new service so we would appreciate your feedback.