Publisher-verified facts
Facts below were checked against Penguin Random House on July 20, 2026. This guide does not include prices, retailer ratings, review counts, Amazon identifiers, affiliate links, or copied customer reviews.
| Attribute | Rooms of Wonder | Small Victories |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Johanna Basford | Johanna Basford |
| Publisher | Penguin Life | Penguin Life |
| Publication date | October 25, 2022 | November 7, 2023 |
| ISBN | 9780143136958 | 9780143137856 |
| Pages | 80 | 80 |
| Dimensions | 10 x 10 inches | 6 x 8 inches |
| Publisher positioning | A magical indoor coloring book with rooms, keys, locked doors, and connected spaces | A pocket-sized coloring book of little wins, miniature masterpieces, motifs, and vignettes |
| Paper claim | Publisher says it is printed on snowy white paper with enough texture for colored-pencil effects | Publisher page confirms format and concept but does not make the same paper-texture claim in the checked listing |
The short answer
Rooms of Wonder is the better pick for a colorist who wants a big, immersive project. Small Victories is the better pick for someone who wants Johanna Basford's style in a smaller, more finishable format. Both are 80 pages, but the reading experience is different because the page size, subject structure, and expected session length are different.
Choose Rooms of Wonder for immersive indoor scenes
Rooms of Wonder is already in the Coloring Book Hub catalog, and its publisher facts make the fit clear. Penguin Random House describes it as a book that invites artists indoors, with keys, locked doors, a craft studio, a wizard's workshop, an ice cream parlour, a banquet hall, hidden treasures, and enchanted interiors. The publisher also says the paper is snowy white with enough texture for colored-pencil effects.
Editorial interpretation: this is a project book. The larger square format gives room for scene-building, palette planning, shadow decisions, and repeated details. It is a strong match for adults who like interiors, cozy objects, hidden-object prompts, and color palettes that continue across a page.
Who it is for: experienced colorists, Johanna Basford fans, colored-pencil users, and readers who enjoy dense scenes.
Who should skip it: anyone who wants pages that can be finished during short breaks, travel, or low-effort sessions.
Choose Small Victories for quick, finishable pages
Small Victories is positioned differently. Penguin Random House describes it as a pocket-sized coloring book for satisfying small masterpieces, with multiple individual drawings, little vignettes, smaller motifs, and pages that can be completed in a single coloring session.
Editorial interpretation: this is a better "open and color a little" book. The 6 x 8 inch format makes it easier to handle and less visually demanding than a full 10 x 10 inch spread. It should appeal to colorists who like the Johanna Basford look but do not always want a large, intricate page.
Who it is for: beginners, busy adults, travel colorists, and anyone who likes completing small sections.
Who should skip it: readers who want large displayable scenes, full-room compositions, or long immersive projects.
Which book is better for beginners?
Small Victories is the safer beginner recommendation because its premise is built around small drawings and shorter sessions. That does not mean it is simple in every detail. It means the page structure is less likely to ask a beginner to commit to a whole large environment at once.
Rooms of Wonder can still work for beginners who love interiors and are comfortable coloring slowly. The risk is overwhelm. A beginner may enjoy one teacup, key, frame, door, or shelf detail, then stop. That is fine, but the page will feel unfinished if the reader expects quick completion.
Which book is better for colored pencils?
Rooms of Wonder has the stronger source-backed paper statement for colored pencils because Penguin Random House mentions texture for colored-pencil effects on the checked page. Small Victories may also work well with colored pencils, but this guide should not make an equal paper-performance claim without a source or original testing.
For both books, colored pencils are the safest default. Gel pens can add final highlights. Water-based markers and watercolor pencils should be tested first. Alcohol markers should not be used without a backing sheet and strong acceptance that bleed-through may occur.
Which book is better for travel?
Small Victories is the better travel candidate because the publisher-verified dimensions are smaller. A 6 x 8 inch book is easier to pack, hold, and use in shorter sessions than a 10 x 10 inch square book.
Rooms of Wonder is better at a table where the colorist can keep pencils, a sharpener, a scrap sheet, and palette references nearby.
Which book fits the current catalog?
Rooms of Wonder is already Present in the current catalog with verified facts, best-for notes, a medium note, and an editorial take. Small Victories is not currently in the catalog. If this comparison is published, the editorial team should either add Small Victories to the current catalog with a source-checked profile or publish this as an editorial comparison that links only to the Rooms of Wonder profile until Small Victories has a catalog entry.
Bottom line
Pick Rooms of Wonder if you want a detailed square-format project with rooms, objects, hidden keys, and colored-pencil-friendly publisher wording. Pick Small Victories if you want Johanna Basford's style in a smaller, quicker, easier-to-finish format. The better book is the one that matches your actual coloring sessions.
Sources
- Penguin Random House, "Rooms of Wonder by Johanna Basford," checked July 20, 2026: penguinrandomhouse.com
- Penguin Random House, "Small Victories by Johanna Basford," checked July 20, 2026: penguinrandomhouse.com
- Coloring Book Hub catalog Rooms of Wonder profile, checked July 20, 2026.
- Coloring Book Hub, Product Evaluation Scorecard, checked July 20, 2026.
- Coloring Book Hub, Affiliate Publishing Checklist, checked July 20, 2026.