Before Colors: Where Pigments and Dyes Come From by Annette Bay Pimentel

From an award-winning author, an oversize nonfiction picture book exploring pigments and dyes made from natural sources―across time and around the world.

Since ancient times, artists have sourced colours from the most unexpected places. Trace the line from Earth's abundant beauty to the beauty of colour as it is used in art and culture around the world.  Discover how colour is harnessed from nature in this survey of dyes and pigments from around the world. Organised by colour - from yellow to purple to red and more - Before Colours shows curious readers how colours are made.

In the narrative text, readers will encounter markers and artists as they source and process materials, transforming the most unexpected things into vibrant pigments and dyes. The sidebars offer much more to discover, including extensive lists of specific shades, short bios of colourful characters, and more.

Annette Bay Pimentel is the author of several nonfiction picture books, including the Schneider Family Book Award honor book All the Way to the Top, Pura’s Cuentos,and Before Music. She lives in Moscow, Idaho.
Madison Safer (she/her) is a queer illustrator whose work is inspired by Russian folk art, Jewish paper cuttings, quilt patterns, and the quiet woods of New England. She received her bachelor of fine arts in illustration studies from Montserrat College of Art.

American English
Hardback
88 pages 
26 x 1.7 x 37.5 cm