N.C. State's Bertone Creates Coloring Book of Insects and Other Arthropods

Most coloring books focus on drawings of cartoon characters for kids or peaceful designs for adults. If you’ve been looking for a (free) coloring book that focuses on the diversity of arthropod life – from insects to arachnids – N.C. State has a treat for you.

 

Matt Bertone, the director and diagnostic entomologist of NC State’s Plant Disease and Insect Clinic, created a coloring book called “Arthropods! A Coloring/Learning Guide for Young Naturalists.” You can download the coloring book, for free, here.

 

The book may be particularly handy for anyone seeking learning or enrichment activities for kids to engage with at home.

 

“I started this book in 2008, but never really finished it,” Bertone says. “I had recently completed my Ph.D. and hadn’t found my professional path yet. So, I considered making and selling coloring books. More than 12 years later, I have a position I really enjoy, helping people identify and understand the arthropod species that live all around us. Recently there was a tweet about what people would have done if they didn’t get their job, and I chimed in about drawing coloring books, promising to share this. Then I figured with lots of people at home with kids, that this might be the most opportune time to give a little back to folks and release it for free.”