Somebody on Maple Street is holding a kite spool, and something fairly important is missing from the other end. Hand your youngest detective a red crayon. You get to be the neighbor who keeps asking where that ribbon goes next.
What is National Coloring Book Day?
National Coloring Book Day on August 2 celebrates taking time to color, whether you prefer neat patterns, bright experiments, or a sky that happens to be green. Adults are invited too.
A publisher’s colorful anniversary
Dover Publications created the day in 2015, marking 45 years since its 1970 Antique Automobiles Coloring Book. The celebration invited children and adults to enjoy coloring together. A shared page does not have to produce matching results; choosing your own colors is part of the attraction. Dover Publications on creating the day.
A simple way to enjoy the day
Give two people the same picture and compare their choices, or work on different parts of one scene. The Maple Street mystery below adds clues and a story to the coloring session.
Holiday dates for planning
| Observance | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| National Coloring Book Day | Sunday, August 2, 2026 | Monday, August 2, 2027 | Wednesday, August 2, 2028 | Thursday, August 2, 2029 | Friday, August 2, 2030 |
National Coloring Book Day date reference
Start at the front gate
Print the three scenes, but keep the last two face down. Look around the garden gate together. What tells you somebody was flying a kite? Pick one color for the ribbon and keep it handy. Everything else can be as gloriously mismatched as the artist likes.
Visit the corner bakery
Turn over scene two. Give the baker a voice and ask what he saw from his doorway. Have your detective point to the evidence before coloring it. If two children are playing, let one interview the other and swap jobs for the last scene.
Give the case an ending
Reveal the park picture. Color the kite to match the first two clues. Imagine how the neighbors could get it down safely with an adult’s help. Line the pictures up and let the artist tell the story to somebody who hasn’t seen page three.
Get the free printable set
The Mystery on Maple Street includes three printable US Letter pages. Solve a missing-kite mystery by coloring three connected scenes on Maple Street.