Parkland College to Release Coloring Book to Area Youth
"A Ssspecial Place for Coby" Coloring Book
Parkland College has announced that it will be releasing and distributing its first-ever coloring book, titled "A Ssspecial Place for Coby," to district-area youth starting next week.
"A Ssspecial Place for Coby" follows the lighthearted adventure of Parkland's beloved mascot, Coby the Cobra, as he visits his good friends around Parkland College and tries to decide his own perfect place to live and work. Parents will enjoy reading Coby’s story to their children, while kids will have fun coloring in the true-to-life Parkland College environments in which Coby finds himself.
The coloring book was created by the Parkland Marketing and Public Relations Department with the help of its Spring 2020 interns, Graphic Design program students Alex Lutz and Emiley Briggs. The two students illustrated the book as part of a project for their COM 292 class, Media and Arts Production. Their professor, Matthew Watt, served as a design consultant on the project along with Marketing's graphic designers, Gabrielle Rodmaker and Jake Tatar. Marketing Associate Director Ruthie Counter and her daughter, Parkland graduate Megan Counter, collaborated as writers for the story.
The idea for the coloring book was originated by Vice President for Communications and External Affairs Stephanie Stuart and Dean of Students Dr. Marietta Turner, with the goal of creating something engaging for children in the Parkland College community.
"This has been a very challenging year for families," Stuart explains. "We wanted to offer the coloring book for free as a fun learning activity that families can do together. By reading the story and coloring the pictures, kids will get to know our mascot, Coby, a little better along with all that Parkland has to offer the community. We hope that young ones in our community can find bits of themselves in that journey and the characters Coby meets along the way."
Parkland College plans to distribute courtesy copies of the coloring book to Champaign-Urbana kindergarten classes initially, with the goal of sending it to other District 505 kindergarten classes in the coming weeks. The book also will be available at both Champaign and Urbana public children's libraries, through Carle's Healthy Beginnings, and at Parkland's welcome desk starting Wednesday, October 21.
Parkland also plans to sponsor an "A Ssspecial Place for Coby" Mail-in Coloring Contest for district kindergartners later in the semester. Contest details will be available via the college's Facebook page.
A PDF from the book is available for printing at parkland.edu/coloringbook. Parents also may pick up a coloring book copy at the Parkland College Welcome Desk in the Student Union (U building) during operating hours. If your district would like to receive courtesy copies of this coloring book, please contact marketing@parkland.edu.