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Tracing or coloring? How Trace Then Color does both

In a Trace Then Color book every character is printed in dotted lines. Your kid traces over the dots, then colors the character any way they like. It is the step between a coloring book and a drawing book.

  • Made for ages 3 and up
  • Builds pencil grip and line control before drawing
  • One funny character per page
  • The finished page feels like your kid’s own drawing

Look inside

Real pages from Trace Then Color: Baby Animals.

A page from Trace Then Color: Baby Animals
Trace Then Color: Baby Animals, page sample 1
A page from Trace Then Color: Baby Animals
Trace Then Color: Baby Animals, page sample 2
A page from Trace Then Color: Baby Animals
Trace Then Color: Baby Animals, page sample 3

Tracing, coloring or drawing?

Trace Then ColorPlain coloring bookStep-by-step drawing book
What your kid doesTraces over a dotted outline, then colors the character.Colors inside lines that are already printed.Draws the character from scratch, one step at a time.
Ages3 and upAny age5 and up
BuildsPencil grip and line control, then color choices.Color choices and staying in the lines.Seeing shapes in characters, following steps, confidence.
The finished pageFeels like their own drawing, because they made the lines.Someone else’s drawing, their colors.All their own.

Most kids move from left to right as they grow. Ready for the next step? See step-by-step drawing books on our drawing site.

All 29 Trace Then Color books

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