25 Coolest Coloring Books Based on Children's Books

Grab these children’s book inspired coloring books and get your kids doing a screen-free activity. Color before, during, and while reading the actual kids’ books!

Here are four specific activity suggestions for using coloring books with your kids. Coloring books make GREAT activities for sick days and staycations! My kids like to color during read aloud time at bedtime, too. How about yours?

Best of all, coloring book time is NOT on a screen! (I’m all about that!)

As far as materials go, my kids prefer colored pencils and gel pens to markers. What about your kids?

After finding all these amazing coloring books based on children’s books, I want them all for me. Yup, I’m totally planning on “sharing” these with my kids. First, I’m getting Alice in Wonderland. Then, The Chronicles of Narnia . . .

The Coolest Coloring Books Based on Children’s Books

A Very Busy Coloring Book
Eric Carle fans — this coloring book is for you! However, if you want a specific story, try My Own Very Hungry Caterpillar Coloring Book or My Own Very Busy Spider Coloring Book. So inspiring!

The Tale of Peter Rabbit
Do you love the stories and art of Beatrix Potter? In this book, you can read the story and color in the pictures.

Mother Goose
Easy to pick and choose with 30 pages of Mother Goose rhymes to color such as Georgy Porgy, Three Blind Mice and the Queen of Hearts.

I Absolutely Must Do Coloring Now
Color, draw, or paint in your own Charlie and Lola open-ended book of activities and coloring pages. We adore this hilarious series.

Don’t Let the Pigeon Finish This Activity Book
My daughter loved this book so much when she was younger — it’s filled with things to write, color, draw, and build. Highly recommended.

Dr. Seuss
Whimsical and unique, you’ll be inspired as you color in the creative art from The Cat in the Hat, The Lorax, Horton a Hears a Who! and other children book classics by Dr. Seuss. And don’t forget to go crazy with your colors — I think Dr. Seuss would approve.

Color Your Own Great Fairy Tale Illustrations
With 30 pages of images to color, it will be hard to know which one to start with first — Snow White or The Brave Little Tailor? Tom Thumb or Thumbelina? Pair this with a good Grimm’s Fairy Tales book for a solid fairy tale foundation. Also try Famous Fairy Tales.

Where’s Waldo
Now instead of only reading and searching, you can color in the intricate pictures and scenes yourself.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland
Explore the unusual and playful world of Alice’s Wonderland in this well-designed coloring book. I also like this Alice coloring book with a different illustration style. It’s always fun to imagine Wonderland, don’t you think?

Peter Pan
Filled with both little of the Peter Pan book and a lot of artwork for your coloring enthusiasts.

Little House
Based on the original Garth Williams illustrations, this Little House coloring book includes quotes and pages to color as well. Some of the illustrations are quite dark with less white space to color but because this was my FAVORITE book series as a kid, the nostalgia makes up for that.

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
This cool Dover book includes the original children’s story (shortened) with pictures you can color, too!

Harry Potter
Get creative with Hogwarts, magical creatures, and scenes from the films! (The visit this book list of books like Harry Potter.) These images are so fun!

Anne of Green Gables
Remember this classic novel about Anne and her adoptive family on Prince Edward Island? Try reading the book aloud to your children while they color in this book.

The Chronicles of Narnia
Because this features the original art from illustrator Pauline Baynes, it’s a bit less enjoyable to color since it wasn’t designed specifically for that purpose. However, the quotes and illustrations are just as magical as the books, whether you color them in or not.

Beauty and the Beast
Creative tweens and teens will love this detailed coloring book of illustrated artwork. Not to mention, this other coloring book about The Snow Queen.

The Little Mermaid
This isn’t the Disney version of the fairy tale — but the original Hans Christian Anderson with plenty of beautiful designs to color and admire.

The Jungle Book
Whoa, this is a very detailed book filled with both quotes and illustrations.

The Lunar Chronicles Coloring Book
I was surprised to discover so many YA bestsellers as coloring books so this is a very delightful surprise. If you haven’t read this reimagined sci-fi Cinderella series by Marissa Meyer — do it, every single book is each excellent! (My review here.)