Draw Patterns with Barroux by Barroux (Blue Apple Books)

So who is the mysterious Barroux behind Blue Apple Books' new groovy little doodling book? We did a bit of research and found out that Barroux is a very talented illustrator from France who shuttles to and from the US to create his fantastic mix of cartoon artwork and genius designs.

In collaboration with Blue Apple, Barroux is imparting some of his knowledge to you, dear scribbler, so you can become a pattern and mark-making genius too!

On those rare occasions where Charlotte is allowed to draw on books, she loves stuff like this - where the flow of the book takes you from simple pattern forms like drawing triangles and squares, to filling in the next colour or shape in a sequence before finally letting your imagination loose on a variety of pages that let you add patterns to crazy animals, or plants, or even the wonky tie of a smartly dressed guy.

Once children gain more and more pattern and mark-making confidence, it will definitely have an effect on their own drawings or illustrations they do from scratch. Far from being a stale and boring art lesson, Barroux aims to make art fun and accessible to all - and this book does precisely that so even adults can have a go and have a lot of fun too!

Crack out your best colouring pencils and pens, and draw patterns with Barroux - and watch the hours fly by!

Charlotte's best bit: Finishing off the Fox's groovy scarf

Daddy's favourite bit: It's very difficult not to sneakily draw in this book when Charlotte's asleep! Very difficult!

(Kindly sent to us for review by Blue Apple / PGA)