(click to enlarge)
This is the introduction to an old edition of 'The Anti-Colouring Book' featured in my previous post.
Here are some quotes from Susan Striker's introduction...
"Why coloring books have persisted through these enlightened times is a mystery to me. They are one of the things that take all the fun out of being a child."
"Coloring books, paint-by-number projects, and instant paintings do not develop children’s awareness or aesthetic judgment. Giving such “art” projects to children is worse for them than not exposing them to art at all."
"All children want to please their parents, and obedient children will neatly color within the lines provided in a coloring book. If
there are children who love coloring books, they love them because no risk is involved."
"The dependency coloring books create, and the insecurity they foster, are devastating."
Goodness me.
I agree with Striker's argument to some extent, colouring in as opposed to drawing does limit the imagination, but the bit where she says that giving a child a colouring book is worse than not exposing them to art at all is very harsh. And the comment about children who are good at colouring in just want to please their parents is just very wrong. She sounds like a bit of a cow.
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