No paints, no pots, no water changing color in a jar. Load the brush that comes with the book with plain water, sweep it across the black and white design, and the color rises out of the page by itself. For a three year old that is genuine magic, and for the adult in the room it is the tidiest painting session ever invented.

The pictures are love birds, bear hugs, snuggle bunnies and other things worth handing to somebody, which makes this a good deal more giftable than a general activity book. There is real skill being built underneath: sweeping a loaded brush evenly is exactly the wrist control that writing will later need.

Usborne thought about the part that usually goes wrong too. A waterproof back flap tucks under each page as you finish it, so the water never soaks through to the next design and ruins it before anyone gets there.

For a session that needs crayons rather than a brush, My Big Happy Coloring Book holds over 90 pages of thick, simple outlines.