by Kanoko Egusa
Published by BBNC Uitgevers on 15 October 2017
Style: double page printing
Format: Dust Jacket
Rapsodie in the forest by Japanese illustrator Kanoko Egusa takes
you to her mysterious world, giving you a glimpse into the mysterious life of the animals that live in the forest.The animals live free, untouched by man. You will find exquisite plants and nature, exuberant blooms, ancient architecture, beautiful landscapes and of course the cutest animals. Fluffy rabbits presenting you a bunch of flowers, a pigeon in a cuckoo bell and mice decorating a cake to secret doors in tree sticks, squirrels in woolly sweaters and raccoons.
The book also captures you through all four seasons, with hot showers in April, chickens and lambs in spring, juicy fruit trees and blooming flowers in the summer, harvest fields and falling leaves in autumn and of course Christmas trees and reindeer in the snow during winter. This is a forest that you will return to again and again.
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Rapsodie in het bos Kleurboek Voor Volwassenen Video Review
I hope you enjoyed the video review of Rapsodie in het bos Kleurboek Voor Volwassenen, the Dutch imprint of the Japanese coloring book, Rhapsody in the Forest.
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Rapsodie in het bos Kleurboek Voor VolwassenenReview
Rapsodie in het bos is the Dutch imprint of the popular Japanese coloring book, Rhapsody in the Forest which I have previously reviewed here.   This coloring book illustrated by Kanoko Egusa takes you into the fantasy world of a forest filled with adorable animals, beautifully illustrated.   It remains one of my favorite books.  The opportunity to have an additional copy of this book in a different language was too hard for me to resist, and like most things coloring related, I had to have it.  A lot of people feel that way about Kanoko’s imaginary illustrated world so you may have to wait for the book to be restocked.
The advantage for most consumers of coloring books with the Dutch imprint is that the shipping cost is generally lower than the Japanese edition.
All of the illustrations are the same as in Rhapsody in the Forest and have been printed in the same order.
Cover & Layout
The cover of Rapsodie in het bos has been printed as close to possible as the original book.  The textured dust jacket is a slightly different color from the Japanese edition with a pinkish tinge to it.  The frame around the title is also slightly different with a gold color rather than the antique silver of the Japanese edition.
The dust jacket can be colored.  The inside card cover features a printed design in a reddish brown.  The color of the art work against the brown card makes it difficult to see and color the small elements. Unless you were super keen, I would pass on coloring the book cover.
Rapsodie in het bos measures approximately 25cm x 25cm the same size as the original.
Rapsodie in het bos Kleurboek measures approximately 25cm x 25cm.
Ancillary Pages
In the original Japanese edition of the book there were a couple of pages with die cut message and note cards to cut out and color.  These have not been included in the Dutch imprint.  As I have quite a few coloring books with treats int he back that I haven’t used, I’m not too concerned about this loss.
The title page features adorable animals and flowers in a lovely twig wreath with the title in the center. On the reverse of this page is text in dutch.  Either this page or the last page in the book featuring text and copyright information would be the best place to test your mediums.   You will see in the video that I tested quite a few mediums on the paper in the Dutch imprint.
pencil test
Layout
illustrations have been printed on both sides of the white, medium quality paper.   The paper is a slightly different color from the original book but other than that there are no significant changes.
All illustrations have been orientated portrait style.
There are 40 double page scenes where the line art does run to the spine of the book. In addition, many of the single page scenes abut the spine of the book.   The binding on the Japanese edition lies down easily making it a simple task to color in the ditch.   The Dutch edition has a stiffer binding and you will need to press it at intervals throughout the book to relax the spine.
Coloring Book Images and Illustrations
The art work in Rapsodie is the type of art that is pure escapism and delightful whimsy lovingly illustrated.  We see animals in the forest and surrounds, in either realistic and natural poses or dressed in adorable outfits acting in a human way.
You cannot help but smile when you see a bunny dressed up with a bunch of flowers or little animals decorating a cake.  The cute animals are only part of this book though.  It appeals to lovers of nature as well with the beautifully illustrated and numerous flowers, fruits and woodland elements included in the book.
YOu will also find other elements to color like lamps, gems, bottles and buildings to really round out your coloring fun.  Rapsodie has so many various images incorporating the seasons that it would be hard to find an image that does not appeal to you.
Line art is crisp and black and varies between a medium and fine line weight.  Kanoko adds texture and additional black to many of the images to give it a true artistic look.
A variety of levels of complexity have been included with some pages containing more open elements and more textured elements on the page.  Other pages hae finer details to cater to those colorists that love a pattern and small, intricate art work.
Colorists that have a minor visual impairment will find that the bulk of the book has so many elements on the page that it may be difficult to focus.   Dividing the page up, into smaller areas may be the answer to coloring the detailed pages or using a color wash, if that proves too challenging.
Please click on an image to view more detail
[foogallery id=”11287″]Detail Level
Where to buy  Rapsodie in het bos Kleurboek Voor Volwassenen
This book can sell out quite quickly.  Make sure you check the “notify me” field for updates on when new stock will arrive.
| Amazon UK | Book Depository | Bol NL |
Happy coloring x
Lea
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