6 Kids’ Books That Do Not Have Coloring Books but Should

Where the Wild Things Are, by Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak’s iconic tale about a little boy named Max who gets sent to his room and magically travels to the land of the Wild Things is more than 50 years old. And we couldn’t think of a better birthday present for this Caldecott Medal–winning story than its own coloring book filled with the detailed illustrations of Max in his wolf costume, his bedroom growing trees and vines, and the many Wild Things roaring their terrible roars and gnashing their terrible teeth and rolling their terrible eyes and showing their terrible claws.

The Whisper, by Pamela Zagarenski
Caldecott Honor–winning artist Pamela Zagarenski’s debut as an author is a magical book about the joy of reading. A little girl borrows a book from her teacher, but on the way home, all of the words spill out. The girl hears a mysterious whisper, “You can imagine the words. You can imagine the stories.” And the imaginative, other-worldly artwork from the stories the little girl conjures is just begging to be turned into an equally enchanting coloring book.

Fox in Socks, by Dr. Seuss
Nearly all of Dr. Seuss’s zany books would make excellent coloring books, but Fox in Socks in particular is jam-packed with such wonderful wordplay and wacky characters that coloring enthusiasts could while away the hours filling in with their colored pencils and gel pens. The tweetle beetles, noodle-eating poodle, chicks with bricks and blocks and clocks, and the titular fox in socks are just a few of the book’s stars that would really pop in a coloring book.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick
Best described by its author, Brian Selznick, “The Invention of Hugo Cabret is not exactly a novel, and it’s not quite a picture book, and it’s not really a graphic novel, or a flip book, or a movie, but a combination of all these things.” This unique work tells the tale of Hugo, a 12-year-old orphan who lives in the walls of a Paris train station, fixing clocks and stealing to survive. Inspired by French filmmaker Georges Méliès, the story flies by, with nearly 300 pages of black-and-white illustrations, lending itself perfectly to the creation of a coloring book.

The Puffin in Bloom Collection, by Various
This stunning set of classic books have gorgeously illustrated covers by stationery brand Rifle Paper Co.’s principal artist, Anna Bond. And we would love to get our hands on a coloring book inspired by these new editions of children’s classics like Anne of Green Gables, Heidi, Little Women, and A Little Princess. The books look amazing displayed on a shelf or coffee table, and the coloring pages would even be suitable for framing.

Where the Sidewalk Ends: Poems and Drawings, by Shel Silverstein
Shel Silverstein’s iconic poetry collection is filled with delightfully silly and outrageous characters like little Peggy Ann McKay who cannot go to school today, Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who will not take the garbage out, a boy who turns into a TV, and a girl who eats a whale. And accompanying the poems are black-and-white illustrations in Silverstein’s signature style, which would make for excellent coloring book fare.
What kids’ book do you think should have a coloring book?