Unlock the Beauty of the Secret Garden

Anvita: A good idea for a gift.

Germany on Oct 11, 2023

Katy: bought for a gift

United States on Sep 10, 2023

Bruce Snavely: THANKS

United States on Sep 04, 2023

E.R.: This is another excellent colouring book by very talented Johanna Basford. I’m not so keen on the half illustrated pages that she leaves in this book for us to add our own drawings to colour. There aren’t many so it doesn’t matter too much. I like her different scenes & there are floral designs. It was a good price through Amazon compared with her Worlds of Wonder, also an excellent colouring book.

Australia on Aug 28, 2023

Cliente de Kindle: Es la segunda vez que lo compre o por qué me encanta todo lo de la autora. Lo súper recomiendo, siempre he comprado sus versiones en inglés, solo la de navidad la compre en español y aunque la carátula es hermosa las hojas son de menor gramaje.

Spain on Aug 17, 2023

daniele armano: Comprato per conto terzi

Italy on May 11, 2023

NW MD: The book is very well done. Here are a few notes:
1) be prepared to color in a lot of leaves. Whole lot of leaves. More than I care for
2) pages are not bright white, they are more antique white
3) there are many unfinished pages that you have to draw (or not)
4) if you choose to draw, use permanent marker or something that will not bleed so when you come back to color they don’t bleed (or use colored pencils to avoid it entirely)

Everything else is fine. Hope this helps.

PS: I also bought Magical Jungle. I would definitely recommend it over the Secret Garden.

United States on Apr 16, 2023

Mr D.: I love Johanna Basford's colouring books, they're better than most. The designs are lovely, and you can colour as simply or as complexly as you like. Not too keen on the treasure hunts - the objects generally spoil the design for me, but that's just me - a lot of people love it, so if you love that kind of thing, this is for you!
Like all colouring books though, the print is too black, so if you're going for a less 'childish' effect, you somehow have to lighten the lines - for heaven's sake can we not make it a rule that all colouring pages on white paper need to be printed in a light/medium grey? Then you can go for any effect you like without a struggle.
I've bought several copies of most of her books - I'm also hoping to scan and print some pictures on decent paper in a light grey or sienna. The book paper doesn't have a good amount of tooth, and some pencil brands don't work that well. If you want to use expensive pencils, you'll get a better result, but I don't waste my good ones on colouring books, I use them for saleable art. So test your chosen brand of pencil before you jump in - I don't use fineliners or markers, so I can't say about those.
I wish I did use...

Australia on Jan 14, 2022

Elizabeth Vom MarloweElizabeth Vom Marlowe: I figured I should review this book since I've now bought it twice. I think by now everyone knows that the Johanna Basford books started the adult coloring craze, but I bet a lot of folks are wondering if these books are a good starting place. After all, many of the illustrations seem kind of teeny tiny (true!) and the patterns complicated (also true!).

Here are my thoughts: I've tried many adult coloring books, and I think these are still the best, overall, even for beginning adults returning to coloring for the first time. The goal of coloring this way is to relax and find pleasure in an everyday activity. When's the last time you just indulged in your favorite colors or bought a sparkle glitter pen? The idea with these books isn't to make artistic masterpieces (although a lot of non-artists do!), but to have fun. If you keep the idea of fun in mind, I think you'll enjoy this book.

What makes a good coloring book for adults?
1. Clearly defined shapes. It sounds basic, but I've used coloring books where the shapes aren't finished. That makes for a frustrating color. The shapes in this book are all really well drawn. Also, if she draws a pattern, that pattern is...

United States on Dec 08, 2016

bellini trice: This book is fabulous. I'm using Prismacolors on it and it looks absolutely beautiful. I'm not even all that great at selecting colors, but the artist did such an amazing job with the drawings that it's tough to make something look bad as long as you stay inside the lines--which can, at times, be tough. Speaking as a grown-up, I was amazed at how extremely relaxing the act of coloring is. I'm looking forward to picking up the latest book from the same artist because I can't wait for more of this sweet, charming art, AND because I can't believe just how much fun I'm having doing it. I'm a very anxious person by nature, but when I get my pencils out and sit down to color, I can almost feel the stressors draining away.

This really isn't so much a kid's book, unless your kid's a super careful one and takes their time with it. I was a careful kid, and wow, do I wish they'd made books like this when I was a child. I would have been so in love. Just heavenly fun. The pieces within are quite detailed and so, so very pretty.

Kind of silly story but, when I first began working on it, I realized, to my eternal horror, that I finally need bifocals! I looked down to start,...

United States on Mar 19, 2015