Heather Lepping, of Oxford, published an adult coloring book in May. Now, she’s hoping to use the sale of them to benefit animal rescues across the country.

The adult coloring book, entitled “Animal Party,” depicts nearly 20 different kinds of animals, each with unique patterns set into them.

The drawings featured in the 26-page coloring book were inspired by a love of animals that Lepping has had since she was a young girl.

“I’ve been saving and rescuing animals since I was a little girl. (The) first animal I brought home was a desert tortoise when I was three and I coaxed it into the house,” said Lepping with a chuckle. “I’ve been saving animals my whole life and I wanted to find a way to use my art to help animals in need.”

Today, Lepping and her family have a wide range of animals living on their farm in Oxford. They raise goats, chickens, ducks, a guinea pig, a dog, two cats and two pot-bellied pigs. Six of the coloring book’s pages feature pigs, inspired by “Meatball,” one of her pot-bellied pigs.

Adult coloring books, first created in the 1960s, experienced a boom in popularity in recent years. Five of Amazon’s top 20 best-selling books in 2015 were adult coloring books.

And, according to Lepping, there is good reason for all of the hype.

“It works great as a relaxation technique to kind of de-stress and unwind at the end of the day,” Lepping said. “It’s good to put your focus into something that you don’t have to put a whole lot of thought into. You can just be free, use whatever colors make you happy and there’s really no messing up.”

But Lepping’s coloring book is meant to serve as more than just a source of entertainment. Fifty percent of the profits for each book sold will go directly towards nonprofit animal rescue groups.

According to Lepping, half of the profits for books sold from August through the end of December 2016 will go to the Michigan Humane Society in an effort to aid animals in Michigan during the winter months.

After December, she plans to donate to the American Humane Association to benefit animals all over the country.

Lepping’s coloring books can be purchased on Amazon and at Merge Studio & Gallery (33 Pleasant St.) in Oxford Village for $6 each. Individual pages can also be purchased for $1 per page through Lepping’s Etsy shop, “Adultcoloring1.” Oxford Public Library will also feature “Animal Party” under the adult section and have individual pages available for coloring. For more information, visit the Facebook page, facebook.com/adultcoloringenthusiast/.