Coloring books for adults?

Are we forced to read novels just because we are adults? Should children only look at picture books? Or can we expand on what is the perceived use of a book? For example, there seems to be a bit of an uproar about graphic novels being aimed at young adults / teens only. In our library, I must admit that we house the majority of the graphic novels in our young adult section and the rest fall into a slightly easier version, and are therefore placed in juvenile fiction. Why are there no graphic novels for adults? Some would say that many of the young adult manga or graphic novels are actually more age appropriate for adults, due to the explicit nature of the artwork. But, adults are supposed to read “real” books, right?

What about the idea of coloring books for adults? The Japanese seem to be much more interested in allowing people to remain creative and express themselves long after they leave the playground. They have developed a line of adult coloring books that has taken off in that country.

There are books for people who are looking to relax, such as this meditative coloring book:

Or how about learning human anatomy while being a bit creative, with this book called Coloring Guide to Human Anatomy by Alan Twietmeyer and Thomas McCracken:

Or even an electronic coloring book aimed specifically at men by the makers of Nintendo DS :

You can find a fabulous article here about the whole exciting topic. There are links to the books as well. Who knows….you might find your inner child on one of these creative pages!