Best sticker books ever?

Dear Aunt Debbie,

I am sorely tempted to grab Jeff right now and rehearse the fights Eleanor and Isabel have with each other so that we can act them out and cure our children of bickering once and for all, a la Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.  I remember the radish cure well -- one of those images that sticks with you, all those little green sprouts growing out of Patsy's dirt-covered skin.

Summer has brought us some good vacation time, and with it the need for distraction on airplanes and long car rides.  I've written before about sticker books, and you've brought up other good kinds of activity books as well.  Our current household obsession entered our lives as a gift from my friend (and our guest blogger) Faith. When Will was born, she sent us a package including a present for him and sticker books for Eleanor and Isabel from the Usborne "Sticker Dolly Dressing" series.

Despite their cloying name, these are fabulous books.  Each one contains a series of pages of cartoon-style figures standing in scenes in their underwear.  The middle pages of each book contain sticker clothing to peel up and apply to each of the figures, so that everybody ends up dressed.  In some of the books, each outfit must be put on the correct person; in others, you can choose which clothes to put on which doll.
   
Sticker Dolly Dressing Action!                                                           Historical Sticker Dolly Dressing

Some books follow a few characters through a rough narrative: three bridesmaids get ready for their friend's wedding, for example.  In others, each scene stands alone: historical styles of the 1920s, or festivals from different countries.  The "Historical Sticker Dolly Dressing" books are drawn in a more realistic style, Tom Tierney-like. 

Each book takes hours -- literally, hours -- to complete.  Eleanor is deeply into applying all of the stickers the right way, and will work her way through a book until it's completely finished.  Isabel is a little more slapdash, but enjoys them all the same.  Many of the books are pretty girly, with princesses, brides, and fairies taking up starring roles.  A little deeper in the catalog, however, you'll find a nice smattering of multiculturalism, some Dollys of different races, and even a book of pirates.

I've just sent three more books to my friend (and our guest blogger) Cyd, to occupy her three older daughters in the weeks following the birth of her fourth.  I have a feeling they won't be the last ones I'm buying.

Love, Annie

Activity!

Dear Annie,

Do I sell sticker books?  Yes, by the hundreds.  So much so that I can recognize the particular DK Ultimate Sticker Book that's pasted all over Isabel in your hilarious picture.  Sticker books come under the broad umbrella of activity books: stickers, coloring books, paper dolls, mazes, dot-to-dots, hidden pictures, etc.  I have a particular tour of the store I offer people who are looking for travel activities: I ask the children's ages, then we visit various activity book racks, miniature versions of games, audio books, racks of small plastic objects (people, animals, cars...).  Activity books, as I've mentioned, are where I try to contain the junky stuff: Barbie, Disney princesses, TV spinoffs.

I wanted to add two kinds of sticker books to your list.  There are the paper doll books.  They usually have a punch-out paper doll and lots of reusable sticker clothing to put on the doll.  Illustrated on the left is an Usborne book that's a little less over-the-top than the Princess/Wedding/Fairy ones -- but they've got those too.  Usborne, a British publisher of many different kinds of activity books, also does some good, non-product-driven sticker books.  The farm sticker book is on the right; they have concept ones (numbers, letters, etc.), and lots of vehicles.

I want to put in a good word for coloring books.   There are those who avoid them at all costs, feeling they have nothing to do with the creativity of doing art.  I agree, standard color-between-the-lines books aren't art, but they are a form of more meditative activity that can be engaging on a trip or a quiet afternoon.  Good for fine-motor practice too.

And these days there are also several lines of coloring books which are basically prompts to finish and color drawings.  Taro Gomi, a wonderful Japanese illustrator, has done many along these lines:

Lots more on Gomi's books -- many of which are very large and thick, but fun -- and downloadable pages here.

Yesterday the mother of a ten year-old came in looking for 
Rosie Flo coloring books.  They're British, but most are published in the U.S.  The books provide clothing and the child provides the people within them.  These seem to hold interest of kids of many ages.  Sometimes the pictures are whimsical clothing lined up on a page, and other times you get a scene:

Lots to do.

Love,

Deborah