Trams & Trains & Things That Go

From Shôwanôto (Shôwa Notebook: Boy in flight); c.1920-1930. Cotsen Children’s Library, Princeton University Library.

It’s time for the annual #ColorOurCollections, hosted by the New York Academy of Medicine! Each year libraries, archives, and cultural institutions around the world share free coloring sheets based on their collections. Our previous submission included birds, alphabets, and super cute animals. This year, our intern Daniel Dias (a.k.a. Dandalf) curated a selection of trams, trains, and things that go!

From Eh Ich zur Schule geh,lern Ich das ABC:ein Bilderbuch for kleine Schulkinder und solche, die es werden wollen von Maria und Kaete Steinkamp. By Maria and Kaete Steinkamp. Duisburg : J.A. Steinkamp, c. 1915. Cotsen Children’s Library, Princeton University Library.

You can find our fantastic coloring pages here. But if you’re ready to hit the highway, may we suggest a few transportation projects? The journey begins with this blue truck

the ultimate road tripBut this being New Jersey, be prepared to pay some tolls:

hit the roadIf you’d like something a little more exotic, this Pickle Car might be just want you need:

mr. frumble pickle carBut you can also fly (and pick up a few pies along the way):

have pie will travelThe more adventurous can try this DIY zip line tram car…

fly the friendly skies 2

…go old school with a covered wagon:

wagon and goodsOr hop aboard and ride a chuffing steam train!

train timeIf your adventures kick up some dirt, no worries! Just stop by our story time car wash!

workin at the car wash yeah

Animals in Kodomo no Kuni

It’s time for the annual #ColorOurCollections, hosted by the New York Academy of Medicine! Each year libraries, archives, and cultural institutions around the world share free coloring sheets based on their collections.We’ve shared birds and alphabets, but this year we just wanted…CUTE ANIMALS. So we delved into our vaults for Kodomo no kuni (The Land of Children), a Japanese children’s magazine that was in circulation from 1922-1944. It did not disappoint!

You can find our awesome coloring pages here, and you can read more about the magazine in this excellent post on Cotsen’s curatorial blog. If you’re still hankering for cute animals, try some of our blog projects, starting with this bouncy bunny cup!

Or fancy up a hamster

furry and fabulousPerhaps you’d like to expand to entire household with this tiny dog house

itty bitty home

Or craft a very learned canary

tweet-reading-is-sweetEven alligators can be cute (and this one is a chomping puppet!):

finished alligator puppetOr make up your own animal entirely!

be you

Coloring Feathers

This week libraries, archives, and cultural institutions around the world are sharing free coloring sheets and books based on their amazing collections. Hosted by The New York Academy of Medicine, the #ColorOurCollections archives is up year round, and the 2021 edition features 95 institutions from around the world, including the Princeton University Library!

The library’s “Coloring Feathers” pages were selected by Jennifer Cabral-Pierce, and are part of “Capturing Feathers,” her fantastic digital exhibit. It celebrates a collaboration between Princeton University Library and the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology. Together, they worked to digitize and study the personal journals of ornithologist Charles H. Rogers (1888-1977).

In honor of the “Coloring Feathers” theme, Katie and I also selected some blog bird posts we love, utilizing materials you can find at home. Note: If you don’t have feathers handy, just fringe some paper!

An easy-to-assemble bird puppet with fantastic flapping wings:

spring chicken

Our ever popular wrist parakeet (and an owl version for all you wizarding fans):

perfect parakeets

A hilarious hide-and-seek duck game in your own home:

fridge duck_4

A reading birdy on a perch (birdcage optional if you have pipe cleaners around!):

tweet-reading-is-sweet

Or, how about a snack worthy of a swan?

the snack of the swan 3


Coloring page is from Physica Sacra, (ca. 1731-1735), vol. 1, page 642, Princeton University Library Collection Treasures of Rare Book Division, EX Oversize 5366.816q, Rare Book Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library.