Current Price: £3.99
Number of Pages: 96
Size: 25 x 25cm
Paper colour: White
Paper surface: Smooth
Paper quality: Very Good
Linework: Fine
Perforated: No
One sided: No
Binding: Glue
Drawings go into the spine: Yes
Waterbased pen bleed: None
In exactly the same shape, size and format as her previous two books, Animal Kingdom & Tropical Wonderland, this book features animals and wildlife from the grassy plains in Millie's signature detailed mosaic style. Between the pages you will discover many indigenous species to different savannahs, such as kangaroos, elephants, zebra, antelope, lions and many more.
It's interesting that most people prefer Millie's single page designs to her double spreads, whereas the opposite is generally true for Johanna Basford's books. I think it's because Millie's individual animals are so iconic and clean in their design, they make perfect standalone pieces of display art that really 'pop' off of the page. Also the spreads have the disadvantage of being lost in the spine, which is a shame. The Deluxe Edition of Animal Kingdom is ideal for those who struggle with this.
The gold-foiled card cover folds out so you can continue colouring the front artwork with your own palette. One major difference between this book and the previous is that Millie has not added any text throughout the designs. These little guides to add drawings to the book yourself are often disliked by the less artistic members of the colouring community, so I feel omitting this was a good call. There are still illustrations with wider spaces for you to doodle in if you wish, so it's the best of both worlds.
One thing I love about Marotta's illustrations is that the gaps aren't tiny, yet the drawings are still very detailed. This caters for all complexities and means some pictures can be finished quickly if you just want an hour's burst of colouring.
Here is my completed picture, coloured with Uni Posca paint pens.