by Johanna Basford
Published by Virgin Books on August 11th 2016
Style: Contains Extras, double page printing, Interactive
Pages: 80
Format: Card cover with fold out, Dust Jacket, Glue & Stitched
Goodreads
From the international bestselling coloring book illustrator comes a beautiful new colouring book that takes you on a wondrous expedition through the jungle.
Follow Johanna Basford down an inky trail through the Magical Jungle and discover a forgotten world of flora and fauna just waiting to be coloured in. Explore an exotic rainforest teeming with creatures large and small. Encounter speckled tree frogs and dainty hummingbirds, prowling tigers and playful monkeys. Let your imagination run wild in the leafy treetop canopy or find yourself drawn to the delicate world of sensational blossoms and tropical plants below. There are ancient relics to be found along the way, each one leading toward the mystical treasure hidden at the heart of the magical jungle.
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Magical Jungle Coloring Book Review
****Giveaway Instructions**** Closed!
I think this is a lovely book and I’d love for you to be able to enjoy this book as much as I do. I have one copy of this book to giveaway. All you need to do to enter is be over 18 years of age and leave a comment below. There is one entry per person. The giveaway is open to all worldwide. The giveaway will end at 5.00 pm 28 September 2016 (Sydney, Australia timezone) and a random winner will be selected.
Extra entries can be obtained by:
1. leaving a comment on the You Tube video for this book review here and/or
2. leaving a comment on the Facebook post for this giveaway at my Facebook page here (make sure you LIKE the page so you will see when I announce the winner and feel free to tag your friends that would LOVE this book as well)
You will be notified within 48 hours after the giveaway ends via the email address you provided. The winner will be announced on my blog and You Tube channel. If the winner does not claim their prize within 3 days by contacting me and providing shipping address to me at that time, then another random winner will be drawn.
The giveaway prize is for 1 (one) copy only of this book only and is not redeemable for cash or exchange. The winner will either receive the UK edition of the book or the US edition subject to their location. The winner should note that prizes usually take approximately 2 weeks to be dispatched and delivered to you, depending on your location and availability of stock.
This giveaway is not affiliated in any way with either You Tube or Facebook.
Good luck ….now let’s get to the review!
Magical Jungle Coloring Book Review & Giveaway
I have to confess that I almost did not buy Magical Jungle by Johanna Basford. As most of you know I am a colorer on my training wheels and, at the moment, I find all the fiddly bits in Johanna’s work both beautiful and intimidating. I was not a fan of the concept of a jungle book and had difficulty thinking how the illustrations would look in the book. Suffice to say that I’m glad that I put aside my preconceptions because I think that Magical Jungle will end up being my favorite coloring book by Johanna Basford. Whilst I adore Secret Garden, Enchanted Forest and Lost Ocean they have a lot of small details, that is not only difficult for me visually, but also very intimidating.
Fanciful tree houses found in the jungle
Cover & Layout
The cover follows the same design concepts as Johanna’s previous books. An ivory dust jacket is printed with black line art and gold foil highlights. The spine is black with with white text and some sprinkles of foil highlights. The back cover consists solely of line art with the book blurb in the middle.
The dust jacket is also printed on the reverse side giving the colorist ample coloring opportunities. The flap is black with white line art. You could color that with some fine liners or gel pens but really there is so much to color in the book that there is probably little need to do so.
The card cover on the book is a lovely lime green with black line art on both sides of the card.
Decorative skull hidden in the leaves! Lots of detail in the skull but nice big open spaces in the leaves for ease of coloring
The title page consists of a lovely wreath of florals and a parrot perched on a leaf. Inside the title name has been decorated in a “leafy” style. The copyright page contains all the essential details of the book within a frame of leaves and butterflies. The printing information discloses that this book was printed and bound in Italy.
A lovely nameplate page follows with decorative artwork containing birds and leaves.
As in all Johanna’s books there are things to find as you color your way through the book. In the book you are tasked with finding a number of different types of animals and insects that may make multiple appearances in the book.
This cute and detailed elephant portrait is printed on cardstock at the rear of the book.
Over page an introduction and some tips are given.
All of the ancillary pages in the book contain elements of art for you to color in. These are also great spots to test out your mediums and see how they react with the paper.
The paper is a cool white/ivory and of a medium quality. The illustrations are printed on both sides of the paper and are all orientated in portrait style. Johanna’s books always tend to follow the same “storybook” format and Magical Jungle is no exception.
There are some pages of pattern type illustrations throughout the book.
The UK edition of the Magical Jungle and the US edition contain slight differences including in the cover art, spine art and paper color and weight. My book is the UK edition and my review will be limited to that edition of the book only.
Illustrations
The first thing that I notice about Magical Jungle is the use of a lot more open space in Johanna’s drawings. Many of her books, especially Lost Ocean, have a lot of teeny details that make the picture quite complex and sometimes difficult to color, depending on your skill level and health limitations. I love that this book has a lot more larger spaced areas because I think it offers Johanna’s art to a wider range of the market. The skilled colorists can pull out all their wizz bang techniques to make the pages works of art, and colorists that have enthusiasm can color in easily without sweating the details. I know that some colorists may have preferred more detail, but I do think that Johanna has made a reasonable compromise for all of her fans with this art work.
I love the variety and shapes of all the leaves in this picture. I especially love it when the leaves are different colors – they don’t have to be green!
The next thing that is noticeable in the Magical Jungle is that the art work is printed on both sides of the paper BUT the majority of the illustrations are not double page scenes. Out of the illustrations in the book there are only 6 pages where the line art crosses both sides of the paper and runs into the spine of the book. This means that the bulk of the images have been printed as single page scenes, making it easy to color and remove (although if you remove you will lose the line art on the reverse). The illustrations have been beautifully positioned in the book ensuring that they are well centered and balanced on the page.
The line art is black throughout the book. Johanna has a very delicate touch with her line weight and it varies between a fine and medium line weight. Due to the larger spaces within the image the art work itself is visually very easy to see.
I wish I was a little fairy that could live in the rainforest in a house like this!
This book is filled with gorgeous jungle inspired scenes. You will find cheeky monkeys, butterflies, tigers, elephants and a variety of bird life. Some of the art work has been arranged in a mandala style. Overall there is a wide variety of both scenic type pieces, animal portraits and patterns in the book to keep the keen colorist amused for months. One thing that may stand out is an abundance of leaves. There are pages of leaves and you may feel that you are in a tropical rainforest yourself if you choose to color them all green. I’ve seen some beautiful colorings of these “leaf pages” in a rainbow of colors and they look stunning. Just like elephants do not have to be grey, leaves do not have to be green. Check out my Pinterest Board for Completed Pages from Magical Jungle for inspiration if you need it.
Johanna tends to use the whole of the page when creating her art work. However, there are still a number of images that have ample white space to do a snazzy background if you wished.
Thankfully at the end of the book Johanna includes a visual thumbnail index key. If you haven’t found all those butterflies and animals you were tasked with at the start of the book, you can cheat and discover them here 🙂
There are some beautiful birds featured throughout the book like these two <3
Towards the rear of the book a Colour Palette Test Page has also been provided. It has a few decorative elements to color on it as well. This is the first time that I have seen this page in one of Johanna’s books and is certainly a welcome addition.
Bonus
Johanna Basford creates well thought out coloring books because they always come with a surprise. It might be a dust jacket to color or a fold out poster. You always know there is going to be something.
This time Johanna and her publishers have outdone themselves by including at the end of the book single page illustrations on cardstock! There are 4 (four) lovely illustrations printed on perforated, single page cardstock that you can color and frame. This is ideal for those colorists that love to use markers as you will not ruin a reverse image and lovely to frame and gift to people. I really hope that this is something that we will see in more of Johanna’s books in the future. It gives colorists a nice taste of the single page illustration and then they can always choose to buy an Artist’s edition if they wish that is usually styled in the same way if they wished.
Magical Jungle Coloring Book (UK edition) Video Review
Enjoy the video review of the Magical Jungle by Johanna Basford above.
Where to buy Magical Jungle Colouring Book (UK Edition)
| Amazon UK | Amazon Canada | Book Depository |
You can buy Magical Jungle in the US here (note that the US edition is slightly different from the UK edition reviewed). You can purchase the same edition as I reviewed in the UK here buy in Canada here and worldwide from Book Depository here.
Johanna has a range of books, calendars, journals and even phone cases that you can color in! Some of her well known coloring products are shown below:
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Giveaway (Closed)
Remember to comment below to enter the giveaway and if you wish comment on the You Tube video for this review and/or the Facebook post here for extra entries. Good luck!
Congratulations to the Winner of the Magical Jungle Coloring Book!
Happy coloring x
Lea
Many thanks for another fab review. I’m new to coloring and your reviews have been a tremendous help to me.
Many thanks and keep the excellent reviews coming
Thank you so much Molly! Good luck with the giveaway! Happy coloring x
I love your reviews and I would love to win a copy of this beautiful book! Thank you for all you do to keep is colorists up to date on the newest books out there!!
Thanks Michele! Good luck with the giveaway! Happy coloring x
Thank you for another great review. I appreciate the hard work you put in on all of these reviews, it definitely helps me decide which books to look for and which to skip.
Thank you! Reviews are certainly handy with so many options on the market to choose from! Good luck in the giveaway! Happy coloring x
Thanks so much for your reviews and this giveaway! Would love to win this book!
Thank you Ivy! Good luck in the giveaway! Happy coloring x
Hi I watch all your reviews, and have a Huge list of books i would love to get, this being one love Joannas books have all of them except this one, I would love to win it, your reviews rocks
Thank you Karen! I certainly know about those huge wish lists of books! Good luck with the giveaway and happy coloring x
Hi Lea 🙂 Another wonderful review and I agree entirely with you. I’m also happy to see that some of the “fill in your own design” pages have been left out of this book too. I’m not an expert colorist by any means and I felt like those pages were wasted on me! Thanks for the generous giveaway again 🙂 p.s. yes, my holiday was wonderful!! Thanks again 🙂
Hi Kim, I’m glad you had a lovely holiday! Yes, thankfully those “fill in your design” bits are gone …seriously if I could draw like Johanna I’d be all for it but I don’t think my stick drawings would cut it 🙂 The good thing about this book is that for colorists on training wheels there is less complexity in the images making it easier to color and enjoy. For colorists that have mad skills they can use all their techniques. I really love how the illustrations are suitable for all types of colorists. I’m so far behind on my giveaway schedule from being sick but ssssh don’t tell anyone I’ve got some really beautiful books coming up for giveaway soon 🙂 Happy coloring and good luck with this giveaway!
Hi! Love your reviews and I think it’s impressive the amount of work and effort you put into it – thank you so much. Nowadays Inalways check your reviews before buying a new book .
Anyway, would love to get Magical Jungle for my collection. Fingers crossed! ❤️
Thank you Katia! It is a lot of work …but I do get to look at pretty pictures 🙂 Good luck with the giveaway! Happy coloring x
Thanks for the preview! I think Johanna Basford’s books are top notch!
They are beautiful books! This is my fave so far to color in because it is not as detailed as all the others for me as a colorist on my training wheels. I can’ wait for the Christmas books (I’ve ordered both UK and US editions). Good luck in the giveaway! Happy coloring x
Fantastic review and book!
Thank you Morena! Good luck in the giveaway! Happy coloring x
I am in love with this author! Thank you for such a though review!
She is a great talent and her publishers also produce beautiful coloring books with a lot of features that we love! Good luck in the giveaway! Happy coloring x
Thank you for this detailed review. It is much appreciated.
Thank you Darryl! Good luck in the giveaway! Happy coloring x
Another wonderful review. Thank you for this post. Johanna is truly a great artist!
Thank you Adrie! She certainly is a talented artist! Good luck in the giveaway! Happy coloring x
Thanks so much for your reviews!!! I love this book.
Thank you Iaz! Good luck in the giveaway! Happy coloring x
I love all of your reviews and videos. I find them very helpful in deciding on which book to buy. I would love to win a copy of this book. Keep up with the good work. Paola
Another gorgeous book by Johanna. Great review, very detailed and covers all you need to know about the book.
Thank you Amanda! Johanna is such a great talented artist – I can’t wait for the Christmas book! Good luck in the giveaway and happy coloring x
Great review! Thank you
Thank you so much Kristina! Good luck with the Magical Jungle Giveaway & Happy coloring x
What a generous and fun thing to do. Love your review!
Thank you DeeDee and good luck with the giveaway! Happy coloring x
Thank you for the wonderful review! I was relieved to see I am not the only one intimidated by the intricate pages of Enchanted Forest. Even my Creative Haven cat and owl books I print out free pages to try first LOL. This book looks great though I love the birds. And another added to my Wish List 🙂
Diane, I think we may be kindred spirits! I do the same with my Creative Cats books (love those!). I don’t like to say how many times I’m nearly finished a picture ….and it seems to be going well and then I just make a bad color choice and off to the bin it goes 🙁 That’s why I like to copy them on to paper first to test my color scheme and mediums or use one of the pages that the artist gives away to promote the book. I am feeling a lot more confident with Magical Jungle that it is within my skill set than the other books. I’m saving them for “special” 🙂 Good luck with the giveaway and happy coloring! P.S Johanna has released some free pages to color from this book that you can print out and test your colors with and I have a huge Pinterest board of completed pages from Magical Jungle that are just gorgeous!
Thanks so much for the fantastic and detailed review of Magical Jungle. I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy and begin another colouring journey of wonder!
It’s a beautiful book! I <3 it! Soon we will have the Christmas book to look forward to as well! So much coloring excitement in the last quarter of 2016. Good luck in the giveaway and happy coloring x
Amazing review.
Thank you Adriana! Good luck with the giveaway and happy coloring x
OMG! I qiah I could have this book. Johanna’ pics are amazing. But the whole coloring itself has shown me that world has co many colors I couldn’t even see. It’s awesome! 🙂
It’s wonderful isn’t it. I used to think of trees as only green but now I see them as pink, orange and all the shades of the rainbow. We are only limited by our own imaginations and preconceptions. I think that is one of the great things about coloring as a “therapy” it can challenge you to see the world in a different light. Good luck in the giveaway and happy coloring x
I discovered the coloring craze a few months ago and I am hooked! I found your YouTube channel and Pinterest page shortly there after and subscribed right away. Now I feel like my son who eagerly awaits new videos from his favorite YouTubers. Thank you for introducing me to new coloring books and posting beautifully completed coloring pages so that we have some inspiration when coloring. I love Johanna’s work the best but there certainly are so close runners up. Thank you!
It’s so easy to get addicted to it isn’t it? I discovered it last year and it really helped me through a bad patch in my life. Every day is like Christmas now because I get all these pretty books in the mail to look at and share with others. Johanna is certainly talented and there are so many talented artists and illustrators and colorists, it’s wonderful how these books are connecting so many people and helping them in different ways. Keep an eye on my blog because there is another giveaway before the end of the year with a JB book 🙂 Good luck with the giveaway and happy coloring x
I absolutely adore you review of this coloring book. So in depth. I love Johanna’s work. My favorite so far though is Secret Garden. I also tend to only color the coloring books in pencil, but with some of the other things I have gotten recently – postcards, the planner, and the day by day calendar, I will be venturing out and doing some of them in marker 🙂
I <3 all her books but at the moment I'm a bit scared of coloring them...Magical Jungle is the first that hasn't intimidated me plus it doesn't have as many fiddly bits which is great for these old eyes! I <3 postcards and they are great opportunities for coloring with your markers! It sounds like you have all the JB stuff and there are also cell phone cases that you can color in as well. Good luck with the giveaway and happy coloring x
hi I think your review is great and I would love to win this, I tried to win it in another competition but I didn’t so it would just make my day if I won this one. Thx for the opportunity to win! xx
Thanks Coco! Good luck with the giveaway and keep an eye out on the blog there are a few more giveaways for this year still to come! Happy coloring x
The only book I currently own by Johanna is the Secret Garden Artist’s Edition. I feel slightly intimidated by her illustrations by this one is definitely less daunting. I also love that she put the tear out pages in the back, it was a thoughtful touch! Thanks for hosting this giveaway!! Now that my summer has wound down I hope to have some time to catch up on your videos and my own coloring 🙂
I feel more than slightly intimidated by Secret Garden lol but I love looking at the pictures! This one is far more colorist friendly for all skills and ages! Oooh I love the cooler months they are great for doing things indoors like coloring 🙂 Good luck with the giveaway and keep an eye out on the blog there are a few more planned before this year ends 🙂 Happy coloring x
Hello,
I would like to say thank you, thank you, for all your reviews. I am truly glad that you are better. Missed you when you were sick. Always look forward to hear your next coloring book review. Again, thank you!
Sharlene Lam
Thanks Sharlene! I missed me when I was sick too! I have such a long list of things that I want to do, it was very frustrating being sick and not able to do anything 🙁 Plus the books keep coming ..even when I’m sick lol 🙂 Thank you for entering the giveaway and good luck! Happy coloring x
I can’t believe you came out with a new coloring book that has chameleons!! I own and love many chameleons. It will be fantastic to have the opportunity to color them. In addition to coloring these at home, I like to take these to the hospital when I have to go. Bless you and your beautiful art work.
Thank you for entering the giveaway Leslie! This book would certainly be good company at hospital. Johanna Basford is certainly a talented illustrator creating all these lovely coloring books for us to enjoy. Good luck in the giveaway and happy coloring x
Thanks for the great giveaway! I love coloring books ( :
Once again, it looks like Johanna has a beautiful book for all of us who appreciate high quality coloring books! Thanks for the giveaway!
She is certainly one talented lady! I love this book (and I didn’t think that I would). Thank you so much for entering the giveaway Maureen and good luck! Happy coloring x
Great and thorough review as always! You’re one of my favorite “enablers” every time i see one of your reviews, more things go into the Amazon wishlist lol I have Johanna’s other three books and will definitely be adding this to my set.
Thank you so much Melissa! You should see my wish list ….I keep adding to it all the time, I just can’t help it, I <3 coloring books 🙂 I love Magical Jungle and can't wait to review the Christmas books (I ordered both US and UK editions). Thank you for entering the giveaway and good luck! Happy coloring x
I love Johanna’s books, i’d give this one to my sister should I win
What a lovely sister you are! Thank you for entering the giveaway and good luck! Happy coloring x
There are just way too many beautiful colouring books that I must have! Yet another stunning colouring book by Johanna Basford added to my wishlist! Another great review – thank you 🙂
Thank you for the review on Magical Jungle – I was undecided with this book as I am new to colouring, and her past books looked very detailed. I liked reading from your review that there is larger spaced objects in this book, and this makes it easier to see and colour. The jungle animals are super cute!!
Thanks Alicia! I love looking at JB’s books but the first three are very detailed and a little bit too much for me at this stage of my coloring journey. I was super surprised that Magical Jungle was quite different from the others, giving a little more opportunity, I think for all colorists to enjoy the book, no matter age or skill level. Thank you for entering the giveaway and good luck! Happy coloring x
This one looks like loads of fun! Watching the YT vid for it has me wanting to get my hands on it (:Lovely images
I really like this book as it is not as intricate as her previous books. Although if you do fancy lots of tiny detail you may not care for it as much. To me though <3! Thank you for entering the giveaway and happy coloring x
Cudowny opis. Nie mogę się doczekać tej kolorowanki
Dziękuję Ci! Powodzenia w gratisów!
As I mentioned on the Summer Nights book, having both knees replaced on October 3rd, looking to stash up my recovery activities.
Oh my Lea, you have done it again..A magical review. I have Secret Garden bc it was given to me as a guft. As I’ve said befire, finances keep me back from purchasing books. I only hope to win this book, or only be able to see others post their colored pages and wishing it were me.
Thank you
There’s so many beautiful books to choose from! It can be very difficult choosing when you have a limited budget for your hobby! Fortunately, there’s a lot of giveaways pre Christmas and an opportunity to win one of these pretties and there’s always Santa (although he always puts me on the naughty list lol!). Good luck in the giveaway and happy coloring x P.S I have a Pinterest board for Magical Jungle and there’s some beautiful colored pics on there!
Will defintely be following your Pinterest account.
Thank you again, Connie
There’s a ton of prettiness there Connie and I update it each day. Happy coloring x
Every single coloring book you show us is absolutely stunning!! I really hope I have the chance at owning one of these!!
Thank you Sam! Good luck in the giveaway and happy coloring x
Great review of the book. I hope that I win it or one of the giveaway books. Thanks for the opportunity to win.
Thank you for entering the giveaway and good luck!
Awesome,i have been wanting this one.
It is a gorgeous book! Thanks for entering the giveaway and good luck!
Love Johanna Basford’s work! Thanks for the great review.
Thank you Dorette! Thanks for entering the giveaway and good luck!
Thank you for the chance, I haven’t tried any of Basford’s books, yet 🙂
Out of her books, this one would be the less detailed as far as imagery goes. This makes it appealing to colorists of all skill levels and ages. Some of her books like Lost Ocean are incredibly beautiful but have a lot of very small detail. Good luck in the giveaway and happy coloring x
I absolutely love adult colouring books and this looks like a very beautiful one!
It is gorgeous and suitable for colorists of all skills and ages. Thank you for entering and good luck x
I left a comment on your Facebook page.
Thank you Wanda!
I recently found your reviews on YouTube, and they are wonderful! Followed the link here, and now your site is one of the first places I look for new coloring books. Thanks for taking the time to give details and flip-throughs, which always are so helpful in determining if I want to buy a book. I also appreciate how you give sources, especially for harder-to-find international books. I’ve been wanting Magical Jungle for a while, so it would be great to win it! Thanks for doing a giveaway!
Thank you Lori 🙂 Magical Jungle is a lovely book, thank you for entering and good luck! You may also like to check the current giveaways for Hanna Karlzon’s beautiful books, Daydreams and Summer Nights, if you haven’t already. Happy coloring x
Great review of the Magical Jungle book!!! Really can see how amazing this colouring book is and your review really made me want to have it!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
It is a lovely coloring book! Johanna Basford is a very talented lady! Thank you for entering the giveaway and good luck!
Thanks for your great review ! I am still coloring Secret Garden now, and I agree with you that Johanna’s illustrator have teeny details . I must sharpen my coloured pencils frequently in order not to get smudge . I think I will skip Lost Ocean and Enchanted Forest and jump to Magical Jungle
I <3 all her books but those itty bitty bits ....Magical Jungle is my fave from an ease of coloring point of view! Save the pencils! Thank you for entering the giveaway and good luck!
Great book!
I agree! Thanks for entering the giveaway and good luck!
I have Johanna’s other three books and can’t wait to have this one ! I like that the level of intricacy varies between her books, she really has something for everyone.
This is a lovely book, she certainly does have a different theme of book, for all types of people to enjoy! I can’t wait for the Christmas one! Happy coloring and good luck in the giveaway!
Great review! I just recently started following you on FB, and I wish I found you sooner! At the moment, I don’t have any of Johanna’s book, but I would love to try one. One can never have too many books!!
Thank you! This one is different from her first 3 in that it is not quite as detailed and complex. That makes it more suitable for colorists of all skill levels! Good luck in the giveaway and happy coloring x
The beauty of her art takes my breath away!
She is certainly talented! Good luck in the giveaway and happy coloring x
I love color books but not all are calming. Some with dots everywhere are stressful. Please enter me to win.
I agree 🙂 It is very subjective though, the pictures that I find I enjoy coloring tend not to have small fiddly bits – too stressful for me 🙂 Others love these piccys to color in and find it calming. Luckily, there are a ton of books to choose from and something for everyone. Good luck in the giveaway!
Please enter me to win.
Consider yourself entered 🙂 Good luck!
Thanks so much for your reviews and this giveaway.
Thank you for entering and good luck!
This looks like an awesome book! I love jungle themes. Thanks for this review.
It is gorgeous! Thanks for entering the giveaway and goo luck!
I would love to win one of her books….I mean ALL of her books. Good luck everyone!
lol they are all beautiful! I’ll soon have another one on my shelf and next year her four seasons books is coming out! So much Hanna to love! Good luck in the giveaway!