HappyDance Books · Dallas, Texas
The coloring books the research would design
We read about fifty peer-reviewed studies before we drew a single fish. Then we built the book those studies pointed to — and wrote down the claims we decided we could not make.
Three promises we can check
Every book we make has to clear the same three bars before it goes anywhere near a printer.
Verifiable facts
We never print a claim the research can't back. Every developmental statement on this site traces to a peer-reviewed source, and we publish the ones we decided not to make.
Very high fidelity art
Every character is drawn by hand in one house style, from original artwork we build ourselves. No stretched clip art, no two faces the same.
Consistent themes
One recognizable style across every book, so a shelf of HappyDance books looks like it belongs together.
The first book
Splash!
Trace, Color & Draw — My First Ocean Activity Book
An ocean of friendly faces to trace, color, and draw. Bold lines for little hands, growing finer as the book goes on.
Why we made it this way
The evidence for coloring is genuinely good in one place, genuinely indirect in another, and genuinely absent in a third. We think a parent deserves to know which is which.
So we published our whole research foundation — including the popular claims we threw out.
Books for classrooms
A share of what our books earn goes back into printing books we give to classrooms that ask for them.
We are not shipping yet — our first book is still in production. Teachers can join the list now, and we will start with the classrooms already on it.