Raccoon Peeking From A Log Colouring Page

This raccoon has climbed halfway out of a hollow log and stopped there, chin up, both paws hooked over the rim of the opening. Its big round mask sits over two large oval eyes, there's a fluffy tuft of fur sticking up between its ears, and a small smiling mouth with a chin line underneath. Below the face, a round patch of belly fur shows between the two front paws. The log itself fills the rest of the page: a rounded rectangular trunk with three knot marks in the bark and a curved end on the right where the wood grain shows.

Nothing here is fiddly. The mask, the ears, the belly and the log all give a child a big, uninterrupted shape to fill in one colour, which is a relief after sheets full of tiny scales or feathers. The three bark knots and the paw pads are the only small bits, so there's a natural moment to swap crayons and talk about what colour a raccoon's mask should be, or whether the log is brown, grey or something more inventive. The peeking pose itself is a good prompt for a bit of story-telling while the colouring happens — is the raccoon hiding, or coming out to say hello.

There's no background clutter to slow things down, just the animal and its log, so this sits on the easier end of the shelf. It suits a child who is still building up the patience to stay inside a line, including younger preschoolers colouring with a grown-up nearby, while still leaving the three small bark knots for anyone who wants a touch more of a challenge.