Millie Marotta's Animal Kingdom Adult Colouring Book Review

Hello, my name is Louise, and I love to colour things in.

Should I have admitted to that at the age of almost-thirty? Sure, I'm not embarrassed to admit it.

Colouring isn't just for kids anymore. There are dozens if not hundreds of colouring books aimed specifically at adults, and over the last year or two, adult colouring books have turned in to a craze. More and more adults are returning to the childhood pastime for fun and therapy. You only need to check out a few lifestyle blogs to see how popular they've become with us grown-ups.

Me? I picked up my first colouring book as an adult (this one) about a year and a half ago- although I'd secretly wanted to get one for years. And you know what? I'm really glad I (eventually) gave in. It only took a few minutes of colouring for me to remember how fun it used to be, and on that first day I coloured for three hours straight without even realising the time had passed.

I realised that colouring isn't just fun and oddly satisfying, but that it's extremely therapeutic, too. Within just a few minutes of putting pencil to paper, I find that it helps me to destress and forget my worries, even when my head has been spinning with a thousand difficult thoughts all day. (Which is often!) The stress, and the anxieties dissipate, the weight on my shoulders lifts, and I just feel completely relaxed and calm. I don't know why, but the pastime really does aid my mental health, and I've heard others say the same! Now whenever I'm stressed or struggling mentally, I try to reach for the colouring book and pencils for a session of therapy. I only wish I'd returned to the childhood hobby sooner.

At the moment, I'm loving Millie Marotta's Animal Kingdom colouring book, which is filled with gorgeous, intricate pictures of animals and plants. The drawings are made up of leaves, flowers, and a variety of different patterns, and they really are lovely to work on. It's the perfect book if you want to create pretty pictures but don't have a talent for drawing. (That's me, alright!) 

Each page can take hours to complete, so this colouring book should keep even the fastest artist busy for weeks or even a couple of months. I've barely made a dent in mine, and I've done a little colouring almost daily over the last month or so. The paper is fairly thick and decent quality, although I wouldn't advise using felt tip pens because the pictures are back to back. I like to use colouring pencils, although it's definitely best to invest in a good quality set for best results. I've wasted money on crap cheap sets, and have just given in and bought a big set of Crayolas. (Why are they so expensive??)

I bought my copy from Sainsburys for just £4 (RRP £9.99), and it's currently available on Amazon here. I think it's a great colouring book for adults, but I think it would appeal to some older kids, and teens, too. If you're looking for a way to relax and destress, I think this colouring book might be for you!

Have you jumped on the colouring-book bandwagon yet? Do you enjoy colouring in your spare time?