“Reminiscent of childhood activity books, the blocky, full-page, mandala-like patterns will appeal to colorers who appreciate mechanics, engineering, gear parts, saw blades, and such.”

- Hannah Hohman Forward Reviews

“Coloring books, originally for children, are intended to help grown-ups relax, connect with their inner artist, enjoy nature and animals, and find peace and contentment. Except, that is, for Robert Pizzo’s Industrial Strength Coloring Book. Pizzo is a first-rate artist and designer of works for both adults and kids – for the latter, his The Amazing Animal Alphabet of Twenty-Six Tongue Twisters remains a one-of-a-kind foray into the intricacies of language. His new coloring book is one of a kind, too. Yes, it has the expected design elements: intricate black-and-white drawings on pages perforated for easy removal before or after they have been given a suitably splendid rainbow of hues. But the topics of the to-be-colored pages are quite unlike those in other coloring books for adults. One page shows two figures, apparently factory workers, standing at a table above which are 21 compartments containing different types of fasteners. One features an intricate array of plumbing elements – unconnected pipes and various possible ways to connect them. One is a highly stylized conveyor-belt-and-forklift scene, featuring boxes moving neatly in the direction of the arrows shown prominently on their tops. One shows a busy airport baggage-claim area, with luggage flowing out to waiting people, baggage handlers with carts, signs to various forms of ground transportation, a security guard giving directions – it is a sort of color-your-own-airport-milieu scene. Another page shows some log-carrying trucks being loaded and others driving off. Still another features two package-delivery trucks, facing in opposite directions, plus drivers and unloaders and the people to whom the packages are being brought. There is a farm page, and a page showing an architect’s drawing tools, and a page of various types of light bulbs, and several pages with manhole covers in the center and various designs around the edges. Do not look for re-connection with a quieter, simpler world or with nature in Robert Pizzo’s Industrial Strength Coloring Book. Look instead for an affirmation of the attraction, if not conventional beauty, of human endeavor – in factories, farms and cities, at sea and on railroad tracks, in a bottling plant and at an automotive assembly line. At a time when the hard-edged STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) are being increasingly emphasized in schools and the workplace, Pizzo here provides a rare chance to soften and warm up what is essentially a cold and seemingly heartless world. Clearly not for everyone, Robert Pizzo’s Industrial Strength Coloring Book is a great choice for someone looking to express artistry in unexpected ways and unexpected settings – which, come to think of it, neatly describes Pizzo himself.”

- Infodad.com