#Giveaway Scratch & Create Books from the Quarto Group

What do you do to unwind after a long day? Listen to music? Read a book? A warm bath? Sure, these all work reasonably well and we have also tried them all to relax at one time or another. How about trying out something unique, something that speaks to your inner desire to create something beautiful? Adult coloring books started the trend of making art more accessible, fun and simple for an older audience and now there are even more unique ways of using art to relax and de-stress. We were intrigued by the new Scratch and Create books from Quarto Group. They seemed a few steps up from mindless doodling, but a lot simpler than carrying around a box of crayons or colored pencils. After trying out the Folk Art Flowers and Enchanted Animals books were pleasantly surprised by how much we enjoyed them (even the less-artistically-inclined member of our family).

Both the books have beautiful and sturdy construction, and primarily require one to scratch dark metallic coating away from pages to either re-create a template provided on the opposite page or to reveal a colorful picture underneath. Many of us may remember the concept from the scratch and reveal books we see kids industriously working away at. While the concept may be similar, these books are definitely designed for adults with the scratching requiring more precision while also creating a lot less mess. Both books include a lightweight stylus with a pointed and a flat end for scraping, scuffing and scratching, which is kept close at hand in a reclosable clamshell storage case.

A wonderful feature of these books is that the artwork included has been created by renowned artists. Enchanted Animals has drawings created by artist and illustrator Marisa Redondo and includes renderings of rabbits and dandelions, woodland raccoons, owls, foxes, bears and a whole forest worth of other enchanting wildlife. Each drawing is created with simple lines and shapes. You can either follow along with the drawings or design your own variations as you create your own personalized scratch art on the opposite page. This book would definitely be a good gift for those who like to flex their creativity! The scratching part does require some effort so you may need to rest your hand a little while working on your masterpiece.

Folk Art Flowers has colorful artwork by Chilean illustrator and Children’s book author Maya Hanisch, which is revealed incrementally as you scratch away. Personally, that one was our favorite! Both the books have perforated pages that can come out and be displayed wherever you may feel like it (e.g. the fridge ‘gallery’), and the Folk Art Flowers pages are heavier cardstock that are also postcards (what a great idea...art + letter writing!) All in all, the books do a good job of focusing and capturing your attention, while working the creative half of your mind

The good folks at the Quarto Group are also giving away a pair of these books to try for one of our fabulous readers:

Entry-Form

Product received, thank you to the Quarto Group and to PR for supplying us with a product for this review, all opinions are our own.