09/09/2026
Coloring books quickly became more than just a fun way to pass the time.
As their popularity grew, publishers discovered they could also help children learn.
Instead of focusing only on animals, flowers, or everyday adventures, new coloring books began teaching the alphabet, reading, geography, safety, and cultures from around the world. Coloring became a hands-on way for children to explore new ideas while building creativity at the same time.
Books like these show that coloring has always been about more than filling a page with color. For generations of children, it was also a way to practice reading, recognize letters, discover new places, and learn about the world one page at a time.
Many of these educational coloring books are now wonderful snapshots of how children learned in the early and mid-20th century, preserving both the lessons they taught and the artwork that brought those lessons to life.
Next time, we'll discover what happened when publishers realized children didn't just want to color pictures...
They wanted to color the characters they already knew and loved.
What subject would you have been most excited to learn through a coloring book as a kid?
