Millie Marotta's Coloring Adventure (Touchpress/Batsford) Marotta

One of the noteworthy publishing trends of 2015 was coloring books—for adults—of dragons, of mermaids, of quilts, of butterflies, and other subjects too numerous to name. These books point to coloring's ability to help people relax, de-stress, and often, to focus. Kids, of course, have long been fans of these books and while some published for the adult market are adult in nature, many of them can be shared with the children in your lives. Now, along comes Millie Marotta's Coloring Adventure (Touchpress/Batsford; iOS, Free; Gr 3 and Up) for the iPad, and it looks like the trend has successfully made the leap to digital. The developer notes that "after just one week" the app was downloaded 100,000 times. Whether or not you believe in the restorative power of the act of coloring, the starter pack is free and worth a try. Marotta is the author of two coloring books, and by her own account, has a "mild obsession with all things flora and fauna." Characteristic of her artwork are images featuring "intricate patterns" and splashes of color. The app offers five pictures to paint and a palette of colors to choose from; tones can be adjusted. Artists can color by finger (the zoom-in feature helps), but any hope (or desire) of staying within the lines requires an iPad-compatible stylus, with the Apple Pencil (on iPad Pro) recommended. Users can start over or erase if they are not satisfied with their work, and masterpieces can be saved and/or shared with friends and family on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. The app is available in a number of languages. Coming soon are "Birds" and "Botanical"—add-on packs of pictures to purchase. A trailer is available.—Daryl Grabarek, School Library Journal