I was going to give it two starts for "I don't like it," but, thinking about it, I really do hate this thing. I loved the idea of postcards because they seemed useful, but it the pictures are just shrunken down from the original, which makes it really really hard to color. Everything is TINY. Like, I have to sharpen my pencil after ever stinking leaf or bubble or flower. Not cool.

A really cute idea, but these seem to be full-size coloring designs that have been reduced down to postcard-sized. For that reason, the design seems too small to actually color, even with the thinnest pen. I would not recommend getting this, although now I wish I had bought the actual coloring book instead.

I love Johanna's other items (Enchanted Forest, Secret Garden) and I was so excited to get these. As soon as I started to color with my Staedtler TriPlus Fineliner markers I noticed that the colors bleed quite a bit! I was very disappointed. I love the thicker paper, similar to her books, but with the bleeding of the markers, it took the fun right out of it. I do have colored pencils, but the detail in these postcards is so fine I would have to constantly be sharpening the pencils to a fine point to color them in.

I'm glad I didn't buy the full book. I have looked at it since purchasing these, and I found the illustrations to be very repetitive and boring. But there is a very nice mix of patterns in these post cards. They are small enough that none of the themes get monotonous, and none are so boring that they can't be colored in realistic shades without falling asleep.

I knocked off one star because the paper is awful. Even Staedtler pens bleed, and in my experience that is unusual. These postcards are best-suited for colored pencil. But I prefer markers, and would have preferred better paper. Any sort of ink will do when I want to color, but with these, almost any sort will bleed so much it ruins the art. I have purchased much cheaper coloring postcards and received them on much better paper.

I've looked around a LOT for interesting small adult coloring books. Johanna's cards have become my favorites. I wish she would come out with a few more! I also have her "Secret Garden", and will be starting on my second book of "Secret Garden" cards soon.

What I particularly like about Johanna's postcard booklets is that they are portable ( and each one doesn't take forever to finish, you can see the end), excellent card stock ( no bleed through), printed one side only, and the images range from tiny to small. BUT: they are not always just designs and patterns, which I find a bit too boring and dizzying. There are little scenes with hidden critters, and usually a focal point to draw your eye. You can choose to accentuate this focal point ( eg owl's eyes) or not. And there is still plenty of small pattern to keep your hands and mind busy. They also offer the option of subtle shading with water color pencils ( I use Caran d'Ache) within the small shapes if you want to add depth or mystery.

These make great gift cards on their own, or as the card given with another gift. They are personal, no two will be alike because YOU did them.

I have yet to find comparable booklets, in size, concept, design, and material quality.