What happens when a team of artists from DreamWorks, Disney, Netflix, Warner Bros, and more work together to make a Latter-day Saint bishop’s idea come to life? Good things. More specifically, The Good Things Coloring Book.
With over 40 pages, this unique, downloadable coloring book aims to help children realize that during a time of stress there are kind people doing good things across the world.
Paul Schoeni, a bishop in the Santa Clarita California Stake, is an animator for DreamWorks who has worked on films such as How To Train Your Dragon (2 and 3), Kung Fu Panda, and MegaMind. While on a walk one day Schoeni was considering the tough situations many families are in right now when he had an idea of how his skills could help.
“So much of the news cycle is alarmist and pessimistic, and I wanted to find a way to show kids that there’s still a lot of good in the world, despite the challenges that we are all facing,” says Schoeni.
Schoeni reached out to his artist friends and says that because of their generosity The Good Things Coloring Book was available for free download in only three weeks. With contributions from over 30 professional artists, the book is full of different styles.
Sample page from the "Good Things Coloring Book."
Many of the pages tell specific stories of service, such as this one that Schoeni shared on his Instagram:
"17-year-old Daniel was looking for a way to contribute during the pandemic, and he got the idea to start a grocery shopping and delivery service to help people over the age of 65 and anyone else who is immunocompromised. Others have followed his example, and now after just 3-4 weeks, the service has expanded to 25+ cities and thousands of people helped. Awesome!"
Although the coloring book was not a spiritual endeavor, Schoeni comments that his faith influences him to want to good by helping other people. He says, “Being grateful for the good things and good people around us is part of trying to live a Christlike life, and it was worth it to me to try and highlight them in a fun way for kids.”
The Good Things Coloring Book is available for free download at https://www.paulschoeni.com/good-things-coloring-book.
Lead image: The Good Things Coloring Book
Family Picture: Paul Schoeni and his family. Picture from paulshoeni.com.
