Review: The Time Garden & The Time Chamber

Summary: A dazzlingly beautiful coloring book for all ages, The Time Garden will sweep you away into a whimsical cuckoo clock–inspired world, created in intricate pen and ink by the internationally best-selling Korean artist Daria Song. Then, explore the magical world outside the clock through the eyes of a fairy in the sequel, The Time Chamber: A Magical Story and Coloring Book.

Journey through the doors of a mysterious cuckoo clock into its inky innerworkings to discover a magical land of clock gears, rooftops, starry skies, and giant flying owls—all ready for you to customize with whatever colors you can dream up.

Cuckoo . . . cuckoo . . . cuckoo . . . When the clock strikes midnight, you’ll wonder, was it all a dream?

The Time Garden features extra-thick craft paper, ideal for non bleed-through coloring, and the jacketed cover with flaps is removable and colorable. Special gold-foil stamping on the cover and spine and a To/From page make it perfect for gifting to adults and kids alike. -- Ten Speed Press

You would have to be living under a rock not to notice all of the coloring books that are available for adults. My sister has even jumped on the bandwagon and bought herself coloring books -- she says it's relaxing. Well, I could certainly use a way to relax while watching television in the evening with my family. (I usually bead Christmas ornaments or make scarves!) I'm not really sure I even know how to relax!

So when Ten Speed Press offered to send me a copy of THE TIME GARDEN: A MAGICAL JOURNEY AND COLORING BOOK by Daria Song, I jumped at the chance. This "adult" coloring book is absolutely beautiful. Honestly, I was blown away by Ms. Song's drawings. Just check out two of the pages from this coloring book.

THE TIME GARDEN begins with a short story about a young girl who has an amazing imagination. When her father brings home a cuckoo clock, she decides to check it out. She discovers a little fairy inside the clock and is so startled that she falls flat on her back. After she recovers, she ends up chasing the fairy and discovering new worlds full of beauty and mystery!

I love that THE TIME GARDEN tells a story, first with worlds and then with detailed drawings! The beautiful story makes it perfect for children of all ages and adults, and the various illustrations (some more detailed than others) are guaranteed to keep color enthusiasts busy for some time. I can see why the coloring craze is here!

I had great plans to take pictures of the pages I colored; however, I do have my pride. Since I haven't really colored for almost 40 years, I think I need some practice before sharing my artwork with others. I will tell you that I did find the coloring very relaxing (for the most part -- I am Type A personality after all), and I loved the assortment of illustrations. Depending on my mood and patience level, I could always find a page that I wanted to color.

There is a sequel to THE TIME GARDEN. It's called THE TIME CHAMBER: A MAGICAL STORY AND COLORING BOOK, and I admit that I was thrilled that this book unexpectedly showed up last week! Like THE TIME GARDEN, this book is gorgeous and entertaining.

Summary: This second book in the bestselling Time coloring series features the voyage of a fairy who, when the cuckoo clock chimes midnight, enters the human world. To the tiny fairy, everything seems enormous and magical, from the curtains to the chandelier to a mystical rowboat that takes her further into an inky adventure. With her she packs her favorite items, which colorers can find throughout the book’s pages: an owl-feathered pen, a star-scented spray, a time tape measure…even the key to the time chamber itself!

Filled with the imaginative, intricately detailed illustrations Song’s readers have come to love, The Time Chamber presents a view of our world made new—and ready for coloring.

The Time Chamber features extra-thick craft paper, ideal for non bleed-through coloring, and the jacketed cover with flaps is removable and colorable. Special gold-foil stamping on the cover and spine and a To/From page make it perfect for gifting to adults and kids alike. -- Ten Speed Press

Both THE TIME GARDEN and THE TIME CHAMBER make perfect gifts for the holiday season. You will be pleasantly surprised by the quality of these coloring books, with their heavy pages and gold-foil embossed covers (which are removable for easier coloring.) In addition, there is a To/From page in the front which makes it ideal to share with someone special in your life.

I can't rave enough about these two coloring books. Highly recommended!

Thanks to the publisher for providing review copies of these books.