Melissa & Doug Water WOW! 3 Pack (Animals, Alphabet, Numbers)

Intimidated by "regular"messy paint sets and "one time use" paper books using water to activate, I decided to purchase a set of these reusable spiral bound paint-with-water BOARD BOOKS that utilize water filled "pen brushes" for young ones to create beautiful pictures. To me the REAL beauty is that they are not too messy, they can be used over and over, and the activity is pretty much self-contained (the pen-brush has a it's own storage space within the book when not in use).To use, simply fill the pen-brush reservoir with water, glide it over the picture, and watch it transform into a colorful picture. The pictures dry pretty quickly (sometimes too quickly if your child takes too much time painting), however if your little painter is overzealous with the water, it can "puddle" a bit. To facilitate painting multiple pictures in the same book, we place a half sheet of paper towel over each completed picture. That way... 1) The child can fold the spiral edged page back and proceed onto the next page without worry of "mess" created by overzealous flow of water during painting 2) The paper towel helps absorb excess water and facilitate quicker drying of page 3) The enhanced drying provided by the towels helps protect integrity of board pages which have a tendency to warp slightly when damp (they do return to normal when completely dry, though). We find on average, each page requires a minimum of about 30-60 mins drying time, therefore it serves us well to have a couple of books on hand to allow extended "paint time" activity and to allow ample time for the pages to completely dry out.My 4 year old grandson looks forward to "painting" during his weekly visits to my house. We have four of these books which we rotate to avoid "boredom" due to repetition and to allow extended paint time activity as he moves from one book to the next. He enjoys both the "picture" books as well as the numbers and alphabet books. It occupies him, stimulates, educates (numbers/alphabet), makes him feel productive, and in general is a fun and novel activity for him. And of course as a busy grandma, I totally appreciate the "non-messy" (non-permanent) aspect of this creative craft.Aug 2023 UPDATE: My grandsons are now 8 and 12 years old (my, how time flies!). For years, I have reserved a shelf for them in my sewing/craft room. where they can access their own supply of books and/or craft goods while visiting. Although NOW into more "techy" play gadgets, I am amazed that during their visits they BOTH STILL gravitate to these nifty little WATER ONLY paint books! These neat and "TIDY" little books WERE and still remain a GREAT purchase.

Yet again a very nice product from Melissa and Doug. No mess, easy to carry along , value for money and a great way of introducing the art of coloring to a toddler. Must have product.

My 3 year old son loves these anytime, but they are especially convenient on long car trips. There is no mess at all, so if he decides to "paint" his face or the seats of my van, it's harmless. We got one for his 3rd birthday, and then bought several more as gifts for my 1 and 2 year old nephews. The variety is great, he enjoys the one with cars and trucks, but also the alphabet and numbers practice. The original one I bought has lasted several months without damage. It's a great price for the amount of use he's gotten out of it. These are my new go-to for gifts for 1-5 year olds.

My son loves these! Such an easy on the go activity to carry with you for simple but fun entertainment! Highly recommend!!

These books are fantastic to keep your little ones entertained, especially on long journeys.