The “Caterpillar Coloring Book” provides readers an opportunity to learn about yesterday’s powerhouse machinery and a glimpse into what might be ahead from the world’s largest construction equipment manufacturer.
Caterpillar is known for its myriad construction, excavation and timber removing equipment and was key in building the modern West. What is interesting about the “Caterpillar Coloring Book” is that the captions are vital in complementing the interior art.
The fun of the project, of course, is getting a pen so you can apply your own “coat of paint” of Cat Yellow on the drawings. The book is at its best for enthusiasts, particularly youngsters, who like to color and have an attention to detail.
The coloring book notes Caterpillar’s contribution to fighting wars and marks a World War II dozer that was found in olive green to give it a camouflage look. Those machines were used by Allies to fill bomb holes, clear rubble from destroyed towns, tow damaged equipment and clear jungles and forests for airstrips, tank farms and barracks. Those machines and their impact on the war effort are not often discussed, but no one who ever served has ever discounted their importance.
For good measure it might make sense to use a marker that can put that olive green to the graphic.
The first bit of history comes with the Caterpillar Twenty in 1927, the first tractor of the Caterpillar Tractor Co., which was founded after the merger of the C.L. Best Tractor Co. and Holt Machinery Co. The tractor was on wheels. It was aptly named the Twenty because it could produce 20 horsepower, the equivalent of 20 horses.
Throughout the book there are tidbits of information to help educate readers of all ages.
In total there are 36 drawings of favorite machines that have been pulled from archival materials and design concepts. For a bonus there is a look at extraterrestrial scrapers that may find their way onto future planets and moons.
The “Caterpillar Coloring Book” is a short read. What is fun is the book provides the reader a much longer time of imagination particularly for those who like to dabble and think about what the machines of the past, those of the current and those of the future have and will mean to us.
The “Caterpillar Coloring Book” has easy tear out pages. I prefer to leave them all in place though. Pens are not included but easy to find in any store in your hometown.
Octane Press is a licensee of Caterpillar Inc.
Dave Bergmeier can be reached at 620-227-1822 or [email protected].
