Appetizers Coloring Book - a Surprise Castle exclusive

24 hand-illustrated scenes from small plates and starters around the world, from a deviled-egg platter to a Tuscan charcuterie board with countryside view.

The first plate matters most. Color it.

A hand-drawn adult coloring book, 24 scenes that run from spring rolls and oysters on ice to hummus bowls and holiday champagne spreads. The pace is set by the slow plating of a tray and the slice of a crusty bread, not the next notification.

Step up to a plate of deviled eggs garnished with parsley and a lemon slice on a soft blue rim. Walk to a basket of spring rolls beside small bowls of dipping sauces. Pull up to a platter of shrimp rolls on a bed of lettuce ringed by dips and sides. Then to a tier of oysters and scallops set on crushed ice.

The pages keep moving. An Asian market stall where a vendor lays out prepared foods and bright vegetables. A tiered tray of sliders and sandwiches arranged in rows. A picnic spread of spring rolls and dipping sauce against a mountain backdrop. A coastal balcony plate of scallops, shrimp, tomatoes, and crisp vegetables.

Wander through the table. A wood-counter Asian bar with skewered meatballs and beer mugs. A simple plate of tacos on a tiled kitchen floor. A spread of hummus, nuts, vegetables, and dips with flatbread alongside. A round plate of fried shrimp and mixed vegetables with sauce.

Keep going. A row of hummus bowls dusted with seeds and herbs, citrus around the rim. A holiday spread of champagne flutes, crudités, and wrapped finger food beneath a holly garland. A wooden table of strawberries and whipped cream dip. A garden table of grilled roll-ups with sesame dip overlooking the landscape. A street vendor in a Mediterranean market serving meatball bowls and spring rolls. Seeded rolls and beer mugs on a checkered floor. A charcuterie board of cheeses, meats, dips, honey, and flatbread among bottles. A patterned tablecloth crowded with samosas, dumplings, and spring rolls. A bar plate of fried chicken wings with spring rolls and dipping sauce. A patterned background of samosas with swirled dips. A bowl of tortilla chips and creamy dip set on confetti decoration. And to close, a Tuscan charcuterie board of bread, cheese, grapes, and a glass of wine with the countryside framed beyond.

There's a reason coloring sticks around. It gives a busy mind somewhere to land, and in this case that somewhere is the seedy crust of a flatbread or the rim of a champagne flute. Some pages are bold and forgiving. Others will eat a whole afternoon. Works fine with colored pencils, fine-tip markers, or gel pens.

If you know someone who shows up to every party with a cheese board, a friend who can plate dumplings like a professional, or a host who treats appetizers as the whole meal, this is for them. It's also for the person who'd quietly rather shade a charcuterie board on a Saturday than scroll.

Pass the platter.

Inside you'll find 24 scenes: a deviled-egg platter, a basket of spring rolls with dipping sauces, a shrimp roll platter, an oyster-and-scallop seafood tier, an Asian market stall, a tiered tray of sliders, a picnic spring-roll spread with mountain view, a coastal balcony seafood plate, an Asian bar with meatball skewers and beer, a kitchen plate of tacos, a hummus and crudité spread, a fried shrimp and vegetable plate, hummus bowls dressed with seeds and citrus, a holiday champagne and crudité spread, strawberries with whipped cream, garden grilled roll-ups, a Mediterranean street vendor serving small plates, seeded rolls with beer, a charcuterie board with honey and flatbread, a samosa-and-dumpling spread, a bar plate of fried wings and rolls, a samosa platter on patterned cloth, tortilla chips with creamy dip on confetti, and a Tuscan charcuterie board with countryside view.