NEW BOOK: Kids Journal for Writing and Drawing

Children's MONSTER Drawing and Writing Journal by Eddie Lewis and Pearl Lewis MONSTER JOURNAL

Summer vacation is fast approaching. Children everywhere are having visions of endless days in the sun with no school books or homework. While many kids will be fortunate to participate in camps that keep their minds active, other children may be facing months with little reading and perhaps no writing at all. There is a way to encourage your children to keep exercising their minds, even if summer camps are not an option. The “MONSTER JOURNAL” is a small personal journal that children can fill with their thoughts, observations, poems, doodles, or whatever else flows out of the end of a pencil. Heavily illustrated with monster characters, this journal opens the door to free style writing and drawing.

CREATIVE COUPLE

I once again had the help of my creative husband, Eddie, on this project. Together, we borrowed from the theme and illustrations that we created for the 8.5″x11″ “MONSTER MUSIC JOURNAL” (created for young music students), and produced a conveniently-sized, carry-anywhere journal that all kids can squeeze into their backpacks and carry around with them all summer.

UNIQUE JOURNAL PAGES

Each page in the journal is different. Variety is the spice of life, and we like to spice it up. Layouts change from page to page, so boredom buttons are unlikely to be pushed. Pages balance opportunity to draw with space to write. Block blanks and lined areas provide ample space for jotting down ideas or observations. The line spacing was chosen to be comfortable for younger writers. We added new illustrations of monsters (cute and ugly) that you won’t see in the book’s big brother, the “MONSTER MUSIC JOURNAL“. The monster characters take the form of line images so if your child likes to color pictures, there is opportunity to do that page after page. The wide variety of characters won’t just stimulate the child’s imagination, but may also serve as a writing prompt for more reluctant writers.

Monster Journal by Eddie and Pearl LewisHOW THE MONSTER JOURNAL GETS KIDS WRITING

The MONSTER JOURNAL itself does not provide explicit writing or drawing prompts. We prefer to let the child’s imagination be prompted by what they see and imagine themselves. However, we understand that many children are reluctant writers or artists, and may feel somewhat intimidated by open spaces that need to be filled. If this is the case, we suggest that the children be encouraged to describe what the monsters look like, to write about what the monsters are thinking or doing, or to guess what the homes of the monsters might be like.

STOCK UP FOR SUMMER

Right now, the “MONSTER JOURNAL” is available directly from Lulu Publishers, and can soon be ordered from your favorite online bookstore. Don’t let the summer slip away without giving your child the chance to exercise creative expression. Whether it is coloring, drawing, creative writing, or just practicing handwriting, the MONSTER JOURNAL is eager to become your child’s tool for exercising creativity.

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Fruit of the Spirit Adult Coloring Book

inPRINT_RELEASE_fruitofspiritBible study meets therapeutic coloring in my newest illustration project: “Fruit of the Spirit Colouring Book“. Galations 5:22-23 forms the foundation for this book. The “fruit” mentioned in this well-known scripture is dissected, and each of the nine characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit is explored through illustration and scripture.

LOVE, JOY, PEACE, LONGSUFFERING, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, and SELF-CONTROL – the Bible has a lot to say about each of these characteristics. This book invites you to open your Bible and make a few discoveries of your own as you fill the  fruity illustrations with color.

The book balances full page, abstract illustrations alongside pages of Bible reading and study activities. The large illustrations feature key words from Galations 5:22-23 embedded in quasi-abstract, retro-styled designs. The study pages are designed with decorative borders, so you can continue to color while you read and reflect on what the Bible has to teach us about the fruit of the Spirit.

The “Fruit of the Spirit Colouring Book” is now available in print, and can be ordered from various online book sellers. If your favorite bookstore does not stock this book, ask them to add it to their inventory listing. I recommend ordering your copy from Lulu. Remember to check their website for any coupons before you order, as Lulu often has special deals for book lovers. If you live in South Africa, I recommend ordering from Megabooks – in many cases, their prices of my books beat any of their international competitors.

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NEW RELEASE: Blessed

Blessed Coloring for the Soul by Pearl R. Lewis“BLESSED: Coloring for the Soul“, my latest book of abstract illustrations, is now in print. This adult coloring book is available in coil-bound and perfect-bound paperback format. There is also a digital version for those who prefer to print their own book at home.

Curious about what it means to be BLESSED, but don’t see yourself as a serious Bible student? Now is your chance to explore what the Bible has to say about this topic in a colorful, creative way. “BLESSED: Coloring for the Soul” includes fifty  ready-to-color, full-page designs which gracefully weave together scripture and organic, abstract illustrations.  This is a coloring book, so obviously the focus is on providing a space for you to express yourself with color. However, for coloring to be as relaxing and therapeutic as it should be, it makes sense that you be thinking encouraging, uplifting thoughts while you color. As you fill the pages of “BLESSED: Coloring for the Soul” with your choice of vibrant colors, you have the opportunity to reflect on scripture. The fifty full-page illustrations are built around ten core scriptures. Each scripture reveals a little of what it means to be blessed.

The scientist in me is always asking questions, so an “Ask the Illustrator” chapter was inevitable. “How” and “why” questions are a natural part of how I think,  and I expect that a few of you are like that, too. You will flip through a book and immediately have questions about the designs or the other content of the book. When I wrote this chapter, I tried to answer a few of the questions I might ask. Given that book space is limited, I didn’t address a lot of questions, and left some to be answered on this blog. If the book doesn’t satisfy your curiosity, and I haven’t covered your question in a blog post, please do send me your question via this website’s contact form.

For the coloring enthusiasts that love a little extra, you will find a BONUS eighteen-page, illustrated Bible reading guide at the back of “BLESSED: Coloring for the Soul“. This reading (or study) guide blends coloring spaces with Bible references. If you are not interested in following up on the topic of blessing in the Bible, you can simply color the reference pages (which are decorated to match the theme of the book). However, if you want to know more about what God has to say about blessing, the reference list gives you a starting place for looking up the topic in the Bible. You can look up as many of the scriptures as you like, and meditate on what you have read as you color. The study guide is a simple way to start your own adventure of discovering the truths buried in the Bible.

“BLESSED: Coloring for the Soul” is all about the joy of coloring abstract illustrations, but it also offers soul nutrition. This adult coloring book encourages you to relax and consciously meditate on God’s Word, while you play with color and tap into the many health benefits of art therapy.

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