Most colouring books leave you guessing at what the flower actually looked like. This one prints the answer on the facing page. Each of the twenty botanical designs appears twice across a spread, the original antique plate in full hand-coloured detail on one side and the same drawing reduced to fine outline on the other, so the decision in front of you is not what color to use but whether to follow the plate or go your own way. The plates come from John Derian's collection of nineteenth century botanical illustration, roses and Japanese iris, fuchsias, hepatica, and frilled geranium leaves, printed on uncoated stock that takes colored pencil well. The outlines are faint and finely drawn, which rewards a sharp pencil and a slow afternoon, and the book opens flat enough to work in without fighting the spine.

• Paperback
• 86 pages (20 coloring pages)
• 9" x 0.5" x 12"
• Printed in China
• Ages 12+