Although too early to call it a stocking stuffer, those who plan ahead may want to stock-up now.
With the recent spate of bison gorings, moose stompings, and bear maulings, it may make a family think twice before booking a trip to Yellowstone or any other national park in the West.
Because one minute, the family is enjoying a snack while watching Old Faithful erupt and the next minute Aunt Carmen has been depantsed by a bison or the 9-year-old daughter has been flipped by a buffalo.
To help parents teach their children that Yellowstone National Park is not Disneyland, a coloring book has been created by Wyoming artist Andy Robbins.
Not For Everyone
“Yellowstone National Park: A Cautionary Coloring Book” is not the average coloring book. It gets graphic at times but the author forewarns crayon artists of its gory content.
“This coloring book isn’t for everyone!” the preface reads. “It depicts scenes of graphic violence, including disembowelment, dismemberment, electrocution, and immolation. Recommended for mature colorists only!”
On Robbins’ website, he further cautions: “ If there’s a way to die in Yellowstone, you’ll find it pictured here, ready for your coloring enjoyment.”
One of the first pages available for coloring shows the unfortunate results of a bison impaling a young woman who is holding a selfie stick.
How to color the spraying innards is up to artist, of course, although one Instagram user recommended silver for the selfie-stick, pink for the kidneys, and burgundy for the bowels.
“I can’t stop laughing,” she said. “That book is excellent.”
On another page, a young man who seems to be boiling in a hot spring can be brought back to life with crayons.
A tourist, meanwhile, is taking a photo of the bubbling corpse on her smart phone while a younger boy nonchalantly watches with a juice box in hand.
Even more graphic pages follow, like the depiction of two bears dining on a hiker. The hiker, incidentally, looks similar to the guy who just got boiled. If so, not a great vacation for him.
One bear has a severed arm in its mouth with the hand still holding what appears to be bear spray.
The other bear seems to be enjoying the hiker’s foot while his car keys, intestine, and heart are all airborne.
There does appear to be some gratuitous violence on this page, however, as an eyeball is popping out of its socket for no apparent reason.
Saying that, there are plenty of opportunities for good coloring on this page. So unnecessary violence be damned.
“Practical and fun!” wrote one commenter. While another said, “Oh, the grandkids will love this!”
Five Stars
Everyone on Amazon appears to love it as well. Five stars across the board, which is hard to get.
“A masterpiece!” wrote one reviewer, acknowledging that a sense of humor is required for maximum enjoyment. “Just received this book and I can’t stop laughing as I flip through the pages.”
Another reviewer found the book “informative.”
“I had a lot of fun coloring these pages and learned a lot about how to not die in Yellowstone National Park,” she wrote.
Downloadable Map
For those who don’t want to wait to receive the book, there is a handy map available to download which could be of some assistance.
Just in time for Yellowstone’s 150th anniversary celebration, Cowboy State Daily reporter Jen Kocher and graphic artist Tim Mandese created a map of Yellowstone entitled “Scaldings, Maulings, Murders And Other Unnatural Deaths” for your enjoyment.
