Coloring and Fun Books from Federal Agencies
All of the following links provide pages for you to download, print, and color. Make as many copies as you like!
This listing is a selection from among those published - search the Catalog of US Government Publications to find additional titles.
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150th Anniversary of the Emancipation ProclamationThe National Archives
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Bee a fire scientist coloring book.USDA Forest Service
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Biosecurity for birds coloring book.U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
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Color the Trail: Animals of Lewis and ClarkNational Park Service, National Historic Trail
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Color the Trail: Birds of Lewis and ClarkNational Park Service, National Historic Trail
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Dusty The Asthma Goldfish and His Asthma Triggers FunbookEnvironmental Protection Agency
Información disponible en español
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Grow it, try it, like it : preschool fun with fruits and vegetablesThe Nutrition Education Kit featuring MyPlate is a garden-themed nutrition education kit . . . The kit includes seven booklets featuring fruits and vegetables with fun activities through the imaginary garden at Tasty Acres Farm!
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Get Excited About Mental Health ResearchNational Institute of Mental Health
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Into the wilderness on national wildlife refuges : coloring bookUS Fish & Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge System
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Kids Firetruck Foldup Activity SheetThis activity sheet contains a home escape map that children can fill in to show two ways out of the house leading them to the safe meeting place outside. Once the activity sheet is complete, it folds into a fire truck.
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Marty and Jett’s activity book : let’s have fun with fire safetyFEMA US Fire Administration
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Meet Some Wildlife Champs: Coloring BookFrom the Fish & Wildlife Service, originally published in 2016. See link to PDF version on the left side of the screen
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NASA's ObservatoriumLinks to several activities and games beause, "Scientists need to play, too"
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Our New England Environment: A Book to Color for All Ages, but Especially ChildrenAn historic coloring book published by the EPA in 1979. See link to PDF version on the left side of the screen.
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A Salmon Tale: A Coloring Book About the Natural Adventure of the Atlantic SalmonAmoskeag Fishways Learning and Visitors Centers
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To Space & Back: How We Can All Use NASA's ToolsNational Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
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A to Z : a California alphabet & coloring bookUS Dept of Agriculture, Farm Service Agency
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Working trees : a coloring book and activity guide to teach the importance of trees and the many jobs they perform in our environmentU.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service
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Yellowstone Coloring Book: Bison (Buffalo)National Parks Service
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Yellowstone Coloring Book: Elk (Wapiti)National Park Service
Comic Books from Federal Agencies
The list of individual titles below is is not a complete list of comics published by federal agencies but rather one which emphasizes those available online or in print format in the NU Libraries Government & Geographic Information collection.
A large collection of government comics dating back to 1944 have been digitized by the University of North Texas Libraries. The collection is acompanied by this Introduction to Government Comics created by Bobby Griffith, Government Information Specialist, which provides historical context for the use of comics by federal agencies as well as links to the 1954 Congressional investigation into comics and the
"...possible correlation between crime, horror, and superhero comic books and the current epidemic of juvenile delinquency."
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln Government Comics Collection has also digitized a large number of government issued comic books. This collection includes material from additional governments including some local, state and foreign materials. For what may be the definitive history of the use of comics by federal agencies, see:
Graham, Richard (Richard Lukas Graham). 2011. Government issue : comics for the people, 1940s-2000s. New York : Abrams ComicArts.
Selected Federal-Agency-Published Comics
Listed alphabetically by title
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The 9 Lives of El Gato the Cat : A Fire Safety Comic Book
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Call Number: Available onlinePublication Date: 1988 -
Businesslike government : lessons learned from America's best companies
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Call Number: Main Library, Government Information - Lower Level Room B190 ; PRVP 42.2:B 96Publication Date: 1997Plain text and PDF versions available. Print copy also available at Pritzker Legal Research Center. -
Card facts
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Call Number: Available onlinePublication Date: 1965During the 1950s-1960s SSA published a series of comic books on Social Security-related topics, in an effort to reach the youth audience, which in those days used comic books as their hottest medium of communication.
This set of "factoids" is from a 1965 comic -
The choice.
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Call Number: Main Library, Government Information - Lower Level Room B190 ; I 20.2:EM 7/3/CHOICEPublication Date: 2013Empowerment $aga (Series) ; volume 1, issue 6 -
Dan and Sue meet the milk family.
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Call Number: Main Library, Government Information - Lower Level Room B190 ; A 43. 2: D 19/ 3Publication Date: 1971Other adventures had by Dan and Sue include: Dan and Sue meet the bread and cereal family , Dan and Sue meet the vegetable and fruit family, and Dan and Sue meet the meat family. -
¡Déjame contarte cómo papá se enfermó!
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Call Number: Available onlinePublication Date: 2009Library of Congress Subject Heading
Food handling -- Safety measures -
Destination unknown
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Call Number: Main Library, Government Information - Lower Level Room B190 ; D 214.514:Publication Date: 2019 -Graphic novel written and drawn by Marines and their creative allies. The stories explore the future of the Marine Corps. Multiple issues available. -
The docs : a graphic novel
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Call Number: Available onlinePublication Date: 2010Library of Congress Subject Headings
Iraq War, 2003-2011 -- Medical care -- Comic books, strips, etc
"The Docs deals with situations that are best understood by adults and is not meant for readers under 18 years of age"--P. [200]. -
Don't be "sugar daddy" to moonshiners! : true story of moonshine.
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Call Number: Available onlinePublication Date: 1957 -
Exploring a new frontier - credit.
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Call Number: Main Library, Government Information - Lower Level Room B190 ; I 20.2:EM 7/3/CREDITEmpowerment $aga (Series) ; volume 1, issue 4 -
Fantastic tidal datums
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Call Number: PDF formatPublication Date: 1988By an obscure physical oceanographer entombed in the Ocean (Tides) and Lake Levels Division of the Office of Ocean and Earth Sciences of the National Ocean Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the U.S. Dept. of Commerce:
"Dept. of C̲o̲m̲m̲e̲r̲c̲e̲?":
"Yes, Commerce." -
First woman : NASA's promise for humanity
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Call Number: Available onlinePublication Date: 2021The fictional story of Callie Rodriguez who is the first woman to explore the moon.
Issue 2 Expanding Our Universe also available
Issue 3 coming soon.
XR enabled (virtual - augmented reality) graphic novel. Use QR codes and download the First Woman app for interactive experiences.
Also in Spanish: La primera mujer : Una promesa de la NASA para la humanidad -
The future is now
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Call Number: Available onlinePublication Date: 1969This 1969 comic book featured four stories: 1) Survivors benefits to a young boy whose father died; 2) The importance of a Social Security card in getting that first job; 3) The value of Medicare; 4) The importance of Disability benefits. It also featured two "special interest" items--one on Social Security numbers and one providing a brief history of the Social Security program. -
The great soil discovery
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Call Number: Available OnlinePublication Date: 2012?Whobuddies Adventures #2 -
Jamie's story: a journey through (& beyond) the legal system.
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Call Number: Available onlinePublication Date: 2022 -
Journey of trade.
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Call Number: Main Library , Government Information - Lower Level Room B190 ; I 20.2:EM 7/3/TRADEPublication Date: 2013?Empowerment $aga (Series) ; volume 1, issue 1 -
The juni[o]r disease detectives : operation outbreak
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Call Number: Available oninePublication Date: 2018 -
La historia de Jamie : un viaje a través (y más allá) del sistema legal.
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Call Number: Available onlinePublication Date: 2022 -
La primera mujer : Una promesa de la NASA para la humanidad
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Call Number: Available onlinePublication Date: 2021Tomo No. 1: Del Sueño a la Realidad
Tomo No. 2: Expandiendo Nuestro Universo
Tomo No. 3: Próximamente
¿Hacia dónde se dirige ahora la tripulación? ¡Descúbrelo en el tomo número 3!
Also in English: First woman : NASA's promise for humanity -
Let me tell you how dad got sick!
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Call Number: Available onlinePublication Date: 2009Library of Congress Subject Heading
Food handling -- Safety measures -
Let me tell you how dad got sick! = °Déjame contarte cómo papá se enfermó!
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Call Number: Main Library, Government Information - Lower Level Room B190 ; A 110.2:F 73/11/SPAN./ENGL.Publication Date: 2009In Spanish AND English. Also available online via HathiTrust
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Maggie Mercury, teenage extraordinaire.
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Call Number: Available OnlinePublication Date: 2022Sheyahshe, Michael A., Charles, Kyle, illustrator.
"This booklet's target audience is American Indian and Alaska Native children, ages 13-18 years, who are facing experiences in the criminal court system"--Publication's webpage. Another edition is also available - text is slightly different. -
The Mud and the Mirth
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Call Number: EBook availableISBN: 9798985340358Publication Date: 2022Visual arts constitute a significant portion of the Marines’ life, from training manuals to public appearances. Illustrations may inform, educate, or entertain the masses, be they civilians or military personnel. The Mud and the Mirth takes a deeper look at comic illustrations from the earliest publications for the Marine Corps-the Recruiters Bulletin, the Marines Magazine, and the Marines Bulletin-prior to World War I, as well as presents the entire collection of Stars and Stripes cartoons illustrated by Marine cartoonist Abian A. Wallgren. -
Mystery of the sick stream
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Call Number: Available OnlinePublication Date: 2012?a Whobuddies Adventure -
Once upon a dime
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Call Number: PDF formatPublication Date: 2017The story of how the folks on planet Novus developed a money-based economy. But not in those words! -
The plight of the pollinators.
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Call Number: Available OnlinePublication Date: 2017?A Whobuddies Adventure -
Preparedness 101 : zombie pandemic
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Call Number: Available OnlinePublication Date: 2011Presents in graphic novel format a fantastical public health emergency to convey the actions and tools necessary for citizens to protect themselves. Readers follow Todd, Julie, and their dog Max as a strange new disease begins to spread and turn ordinary people into zombies. Includes a preparedness checklist for readers to assemble an All-Hazards Emergency Kit.
Text-only version also available -
Quest for a job.
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Call Number: Main Library, Government Information - Lower Level Room B190 ; I 20.2:EM 7/3/JOBPublication Date: 2013?Empowerment $aga (Series) ; volume 1, issue 2 -
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Rex Morgan, M.D., talks about your unborn child.
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Call Number: Main Library, Government Information - Lower Level Room B190 ; T 70. 2: C 43Publication Date: 1980Library of Congress Subject Headings
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders -
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A Smithsonian Book of Comic Book Comics
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Call Number: Main Library, Art Collection – 4 South ; PN6726 .S58 1981ISBN: 0874742285Publication Date: 1982 -
Social security for farm families
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Call Number: Available onlinePublication Date: 1956During the 1950s SSA published a series of comic books on Social Security-related topics, in an effort to reach the youth audience, which in those days used comic books as their hottest medium of communication.
This chart is from a comic published in 1956. -
Spark Squad: a story from the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, volume 2
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Call Number: Available onlinePublication Date: 2022 -
Sprocket Man : CPSC Comics
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Call Number: PDFPublication Date: 1994Bicycle maintenance and safety information -
The story of monetary policy
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Call Number: Available oninePublication Date: 2018More economic adventures on the planet Novus, first introduced in Once Upon a Dime. and continued in The Story of the Federal Reserve System -
The story of the Federal Reserve System
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Call Number: Available onlinePublication Date: 2018A follow up to the captivating tale, Once Upon a Dime, also linked on this page. -
They were Chosin : U.S. Marine cartoonists in the Korean War
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Call Number: D 214.513:C 24/2Publication Date: 2025Not available at NU Libraries - request through Interlibrary Loan.
"They Were Chosin is based on a previous work, The Mud and the Mirth, which details U.S. Marine cartoonists in World War I. This book focuses again on one primary artist, Norval E. "Gene" Packwood, and two books he wrote and illustrated during the late 1940s and early 1950s: Leatherhead: The Story of Marine Corps Boot Camp and Leatherhead in Korea. They Were Chosin offers a humorous perspective on what was going on during the war. This book is not meant to be a definitive visual history of the Korean War. It is meant to share an aspect of the war, told through the cultural lens of comic characters"-- Provided by publisher. -
Three who came back
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Call Number: Available onlinePublication Date: 1965During the 1950s-1960s SSA published a series of comic books on Social Security-related topics, in an effort to reach the youth audience, which in those days used comic books as their hottest medium of communication.
This comic is from 1965 -
Top secret field trip
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Call Number: Available onlinePublication Date: 2012?A Whobuddies Adventure -
