Nightland Colouring Book by Elo Mall Toomet

We all say colouring is not just for kids, but how do you feel about colouring images targeted to kids? Nightland is principally a children's bedtime story/colouring book, with simple, easy to colour images for the owner to make the storybook their own. I personally don't mind what I colour as long as it interests me, so when I found a book based on tales of folklore, myth and legend, I jumped at the chance to review it.

There's something about colouring a basic picture, rather than an intricate designed-for-adults one, that really takes you back to being young and that fundamental enjoyment of colouring without an agenda, or worrying about what the final product will look like. Just creating art in the moment. Estonian illustrator Elo has captured that with Nightland, which gives a traditional yet alternative spin on kids' colouring books. It's the kind of book I'd imagine the residents of Summerisle* reading to their children! That's just the feel I get from it; a slightly macabre, otherworldly quality.

*Summerisle is the fictional village from horror movie The Wicker Man.

The illustrations themselves are reminiscent of aboriginal art and cave drawings, quite basic but stylish. The paper is quite thick, which it needs to be as the images are double-sided, and has a glossy feel so wouldn't be great for coloured pencils without leaving a sheen. There are 18 pages in the story, so not too many for children to colour if you're planning on giving this as a present.

I chose to colour the part about the witch with a thousand eyes watching over everything in the forest, as I thought it was particularly creepy and you know I love anything a bit scary :)

I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. You can buy a signed copy over on Elo's Etsy page.