Drawn from Nature

by Helen Ahpornsiri

An intricately crafted journey through four seasons of flora and fauna

Helen Ahpornsiri’s intricate artwork transforms leaves, petals, and seeds into bounding hares, swooping swallows, and blossoming trees. Using nothing but pressed plants, this journey through the seasons captures the wonder and magic of the natural world between the pages of a book. This standout title with beautiful nonfiction text will take readers through an extraordinary year in the wild.

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Art, Animals, Nature, Childrens, Science

60 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2018

About the author

Helen Ahpornsiri creates intricate collages using real flowers and foliage, which are foraged or grown, then preserved with traditional flower-pressing methods. The plants are organized by species or color before being cut and delicately arranged to form birds, insects, and other creatures, all filled with tiny patterns and tangles of plant life.

Reviews

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot take credit for finding this book. In fact, I'm pretty sure I would have never known this little treasure existed if it hadn't been for Paul adding it here on GR. Forunately, I was at least able to obtain a copy here because this truly is a treasure.

The book takes us through one year, through all four seasons, and shows typical scenes from each time. What makes this so special is that every image shown in here is made entirely from hand-pressed plants! That's right! Every line, every dot ... it's all seeds and flower petals and fir needles and all manner of other things. The print of the hand-crafted images is of extremely high quality so the reader can see the details of every plant (like images within images).

Best to let the book speak for itself:







Naturally, as every image is made by plants from the respective season, the colour pallet is slightly limited (e.g. nothing blue to create water scenes) but that doesn't mar the enjoyment in the slightest.

Here is a short video showing the artist creating a beautiful butterfly: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLddS...
It's truly mesmerizing.

A wonderful work of art that also teaches us a little about the animals and plants in the four seasons.

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

My brain got stuck on WOW! mode as I made my way through this book. Ruth Symons’ words were lovely, with easy to understand explanations of what’s happening in the flora and fauna worlds throughout the seasons, but were outshone by the pictures. I don’t think it would have mattered what words were used. They were never going to be the main event here.

My mind could not wrap itself around the creativity and genius of this artist and I kept telling myself that there was no way she could be this talented - but she is! There is not a splash of paint nor line of drawing in the entire book. Helen Ahpornsiri uses flowers and leaves to create the most stunning masterpieces of flowers, plants and animals! The heron and butterfly you see on the front cover are just a couple of examples of the jaw dropping images you will discover in these pages.

I can’t find a big enough or pretty enough word to describe just how breathtaking the animals in particular are. Helen’s attention to detail is extraordinary and how she can give each animal individual characters and expressions is beyond me. With the amount of work that must go into each creation you could forgive her for using the same image of a butterfly each time one was needed, yet each butterfly is an individual. There’s a row of ducklings following their mother and every single duckling is unique. You’ll see bats, frogs, dragonflies, deer, squirrels, foxes, field mice, a hare and various insects. There are a group of mushrooms that are so beautiful.

I thought that this book couldn’t get any better but then I found the couple of pages where the background was black instead of the white that is behind most of the images. I have no words for the portrait of the owl with the black background. I would love to do a cross stitch of this design so I can hang it on my wall and marvel at it for the rest of my life.

You have to check out the time lapse videos of the creation of some of the animals on YouTube. Fair warning though, your brain may get stuck on a WOW! loop.

My library catalogue has this book listed under junior nonfiction although adults are probably going to love this even more than their kidlets. I could easily see this book making its way onto my coffee table so it’s always close by when I need to admire it.

[Jenna · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most visually gorgeous books I've ever seen -- a chance find at Woodstock, Vermont's Yankee Bookshop. All the illustrations are created from amazingly expressive assemblages of pressed flowers and other plant cuttings. The text is surprisingly educational -- when I was in the target audience age range (6 to 9 year olds, the cover jacket says), I surely would have been delighted to learn that dragonfly larvae dine on fish (and not just the other way around), that ducklings must stick close to their mother so that her waterproof oils rub off on them, that it's easy to tell what species of tree a leaf or cluster of needles comes from if you know how to look.

[Laura Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art was created from pressed petals and leaves. The result is absolutely stunning. A must have for the young nature lover. Or art loving adult!

[Connie D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gorgeous intricate illustrations made out of plant collages and beautifully written words, all about nature through the seasons. Love it!

Every time I look, I see more beauty. Just wow.

[Vera Godley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most of us have gathered wild flowers, perhaps pressing them because they are so lovely and we want to remember the moment. Or perhaps you've gathered colorful leaves in the fall marveling at their colors and declining beauty.The author of Drawn from Nature has taken a love for the beauty of plant life and created works of art from the already beautiful and even the not-so-pretty that is found out-and-about in the wild out-of-doors.

I am so amazed at this book and the intricate work of this artist. Just to sit looking at these beautiful images is a treat to enjoy. But that is not all this book includes. It is broken down into the four seasons: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter with plants and animals becoming active and springing into action with glorious color and going on through the seasons to the bare branches, darkness, and stillness that encompasses Winter.

A beautifully pictured and told story of our seasons.

A must see is the video that Candlewick has on YouTube that captures the artist creating her art utilizing the design that she sees in real bits and pieces of nature. It is fascinating!

I received a complimentary copy from the publisher to facilitate this review. Opinions are my own, alone, and are freely given.

[Gina · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a little too much. The illustrations are so intricate that they need much less text. Straight illustrations where you only have to focus on the lushness would be better, or illustrating another story with more action.

[J · Rating 4 out of 5]

After receiving a book from my sister that although it was about animals was also a book about drawing animals I quickly judged this be just such a similar book given the title. Instead the book although based on art is completed art thus leaving the untalented art reader room to be thankful they aren't being on the spot.

Instead Drawn From Nature is a book that explores the seasons of what I am guessing is the United Kingdom due to the real robin, the hedgehog and the included badger. My hesitancy for a confirmation of this is since of the fact there are mentioned some animal species in which I am more familiar with as living in North American only since I am not an expert on wildlife of Europe or the United Kingdom besides what I read of in books.

The actual book is broken into seasons while I love the fact that they chose to use autumn instead of fall. Each section has a beautiful page of pressed plants that bring to the mind the plants most notable for that season while opposite it is small description of the season plus important aspects of it. This is then followed by each section having smaller subsections that explore different important topics that can be discovered in that season such as birds singing and nest building for Spring, the swallows swooping, crickets chirping and the harvest mouse for the summer just to name a few examples.

But most of these topics are already known and not really important to learn about to many older readers. Instead the book's actual worth is in the artwork in which the pressed plants have been used to make a wonderful style that I haven't seen provided before. The details are breathtaking, the colors unique and the use of each plant or fungi portion extraordinary while most of the animal characters are adorably cute even though you can't really tell their species apart from each other. Time and time again I looked for a sketch to see if lines were used for an outline but I couldn't see that for it looked like the plants themselves were used to provide those well-known borders.

This will definitely be a great book to include in young readers' libraries for the seasons or even in older readers' libraries for the art. Most definitely a gardener may enjoy this book just as much as an artist while more than likely they can name several of the plants actually used as well.

[Kätlin Kaldmaa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Väga basic raamat aasta ring-rong-käigust looduses, iseäralik selle poolest, et kõik illustratsioonid on tehtud kuivatatud taimedest-õitest-lehtedest jne. Nii et vaatamist seeläbi rohkem kui lugemist. Ma muidugi ei ole sihtgrupp. Tore on ikka!

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are in a Thoreau mindset and want to bask in "All good things are wild, and free" this book will get you there.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous! All the illustrations are made from real dried plants and flowers. Couldn't look at some of the photos long enough. Fascinating details.

[Eleanor Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the most beautiful book I've ever held in my hands.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The artwork is what makes this books stunning, there is some great information about different parts of the natural world in each season too.

[Martina P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful illustrations from pressed flowers and leaves with educational story about a year in the wild nature for youngest schoolchildren.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the most basic level, this is a book with information about plants, animals, and insects and how they grow, change, and behave throughout the 4 seasons. Like I said, that's the most basic (and really, unfair) description of this book. What it really is is a visual masterpiece woven through with information of the natural world. The illustrations are made using pressed plants and flowers, and you almost can't believe it's true. I've stared so hard, put my face so close to the pages, in absolute awe of this talent, and the time consuming work necessary to create these images.

The book is divided into the seasons, with sections within, like:
The Trees Awake
Buds and Bees
Deer Rutting
Red Fox at Night

The text has an easy flow to it, and the pages are eye catching and engaging.
You're going to love this one!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't collect children's picture books except for a handful about gardening and nature (collecting more could get out of hand too quickly)! This one will have to be an addition. The beautiful work of British artist Helen Ahpornsiri is a series of collages, each made from responsibly grown or wild-foraged leaves and flowers, flower-pressed using traditional methods and then arranged into the tableaux we see on each page. The artwork is unique, and stunning.

Ahpornsiri takes us through the seasons, from spring to winter, and illuminates many of the activities and rituals that birds, animals, and insects engage in throughout the natural year - from hares boxing in the fields during breeding season, to harvest mice scampering and climbing in the meadow and building their nests, to fungi growing underground as "a web of threads winding through the soil" (44). Her descriptions are evocative and accurate, and any reader not a professional naturalist will learn many new facts; for example, I found out that a hedgehog's heart rate drops from 190 to 20 when it hibernates, and that a stag during mating season will "crown" itself with brush and bracken to make itself intimidating. These are just a few of the tidbits that will fascinate adults and children alike. A beautiful, original, educational book.

[Marmot · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork - I love the concept of this book about nature being illustrated by dried flowers and other natural items. As a professional forester, I felt the text could use some editing by a naturalist - there were several errors I picked up on immediately (like the larch tree having green leaves in the fall section... most naturalists would know it should have been shown as yellow with a nice little blurb about how not all conifers are evergreen). Also, all the references to the “wild” accompanied by dried garden flowers like daffodils and snowdrops irked me in a way that perhaps would not be apparent to those who do not understand the difference between native plants (to which I would associate the word “wild”) and horticultural varieties (garden plants, not “wild” even if they are naturalized in some locations). I suspect this has to do with the varying viewpoints on nature from the author’s location (UK) where very little true nature remains in what I would consider a “wild, natural” state, versus my location in a remote part of British Columbia, Canada, where the line between “wild” native plants and garden plants is extremely obvious. Rant aside, it is a beautiful book, but I like the illustrations far more than the text.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Explore the changing seasons through this exceptional book. With text that focuses on the various aspects of each season, this book invites you to look more closely at nature and the small events that take place. There is nest building in the spring, caterpillars turning into butterflies, and blossoms emerging. In the summer, swallows fly, the meadow grows, crickets chirp, bees buzz, green leaves emerge. The autumn arrives with leaves turning color, berries and nuts, geese flying south. In the winter, hibernation starts and branches turn bare.

The text of this book is filled with facts yet at the same time offer a sense of wonder at what is happening at nature around us. These small glimpses of nature form a larger image of the natural world for young readers.

As good as the text is though, it is nothing compared to the illustrations of this book. Uniquely designed out of pressed flowers and leaves, they are mesmerizing and achingly lovely. The larger animals are spectacular in their delicate beauty and so are the smaller animals and plants. Throughout there is a grace of line and delight. An organic look at nature in all of its beauty. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

[Kirja Vieköön! · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tämä kirja on kaunis ja aivan ihastuttava! Nuori brittiläinen taiteilija Helen Ahpornsini luo prässätyistä kasveista käsittämättömän upeaa taidetta. Hän prässää kasvien kukkia, lehtiä, varsia ja marjoja - ja rakentaa niistä sitten aivan uusia kokonaisuuksia: perhosia, sudenkorentoja, pikkulintuja, hiirulaisia, oravia, kettuja ja hirviä. Käsittämättömän kaunista ❤︎ Epäilin onko tämä ylipäätään mahdollista, mutta taiteilija sanoo teoksessa näin ja todistaa todeksi Youtubessa:

"Kaikki tämän kirjan kuvien osaset - ketun silmän pilkahduksesta hämähäkinverkon hentoon seittiviivaan - ovat peräisin kasveista. Kuvasivuihin ei ole käytetty pisaraakaan maalia.”

Kirja kattaa vuoden kierron - kevät, kesä, syksy ja talvi. Minusta myös Ruth Symonsin tekstit olivat viehättäviä. Ne ovat riittävän yksinkertaisia lapsille, mutta antavat samalla paljon tietoa siitä, mitä luonnossa eri vuodenaikoina tapahtuu.

Tämä on aivan hurmaava kirja, jossa vuodenaikojen ihmeet ja luonnon kauneus avautuvat satumaisella tavalla ❤︎ Kannattaa muistaa kesälahjaa pienille ja vähän isommillekin kaivatessaan. Lapsen kanssa voi tutkia yhdessä luontoa ja vaikka prässäillä kasveja.

[Cheryl]

Very pretty, and I wish that it had focused on the art. I read very little of the text: for one, because it's at a level I'm far beyond, and for two, it's too long and distracting from the art.

I am also exasperated that the text seems to be there to be educational, but there are few actual specific names. Generalizes, for example, bat, swallow, spruce... even most flowers are 'flower.' A better text would have been personal - where did the author find these specimens, what prompted her to choose them, what else did she see on her expedition to find a certain bloom, were any of the fauna sketched from life...?

A glossary and a brief note about the fact that even the gleam in the fox's eye and the cobwebs are made from natural items. No further reading or anything. So, imo, it shouldn't even have pretended to be educational; there are plenty of wonderful (and beautiful) actual science books and this should not compete with those.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

As winds howl sending snow swirling into drifts, reading transports us to other places in other times. While most of nature is at rest, within the pages of books, we look to the seasons which follow. That which is asleep will awaken. Where there is no life, new creations will emerge and flourish, coming back full circle to winter.

The beauty displayed by the flora during most seasons in our world can and is preserved for study and art. Drawn from Nature (Big Picture Press, an imprint of Candlewick Press, March 13, 2018) written and illustrated by Helen Ahpornsiri is an informative and breathtaking display of animals and plants in spring, summer, autumn and winter. For each season our attention is focused on six to eight special elements, all meticulously formed from petals and leaves.


My full recommendation: https://librariansquest.blogspot.com/...

[Bdalton · Rating 5 out of 5]

There should be a category of picture books that are equally appealing to adult art lovers. This lovely book would fit squarely into that classification. Each illustration was composed of pressed flowers carefully foraged. Adults interested in botanical illustration will love this title. This book deserves five stars for its visual appeal alone.

The text seems to have been designed the illustrations rather than the other way around. The writing is clearly aimed at an older reader. Examples of some of the vocabulary- deciduous, boughs, intact, carbon dioxide, photosynthesis, & nectar. So, despite being a picture book, this is book would be best suited for 2nd grade and up or as a read-aloud/vocabulary builder for younger readers. Some of the topics covered are seasons, nocturnal animals, & birds, bees, and butterflies.

[Eve Costarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent nature book, weaved throughout by a book about the seasons accompanied by some of the nicest nature collages I have ever seen. I rate this book a Capital “G” for GREAT, GORGEOUS, GLORIOUS and GO GET it now! The beautiful art of Ms. Ahpornsiri is truly incredible. You can see her connection to nature through her attention to detail, employing so precisely varied colors, shapes and textures to form and enliven each creation. I love her imaginative use of tiny flowers, delicately curled ferns, spindly roots and all the perfectly preserved flora that accompanies so many interesting facts about nature. This book is just so beautiful. I highly recommend it. Get it for you…get it for the nature lover in your life…so many options!

[Becky B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Look at nature through the seasons with informative text and illustrations completely made out of pressed flowers and plants.

The nonfiction information about animals and plants and insects in different seasons is solid and presented in little bite sized bits, probably best for middle grade on up. It is good. But what makes this book amazing are the illustrations. They need to be seen to be believed. Ahpornsiri has done some truly amazing things with real pressed flowers and leaves. I have never seen anything quite like it and it is gorgeous. Very highly recommended for the artwork, and also a good pick for the seasonal nature information.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful artwork about nature, made from real leaves and flowers, some complete, some carefully cut apart. Organized by season from Spring through Winter, she gives us beautifully illustrated flowers, animals and insects. Birds, trees, hares, pond life, ducks, butterflies, frogs, mice. They're all here in glorious color. It takes an artist's eye and careful hands to create such glory.
Highly recommended for anyone who loves nature. The text is aimed at children ages 6-9, but the pictures are for everybody, but especially adults, who can appreciate the artistic insight and the difficulty of working with such delicate light-weight materials.
Gorgeous!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drawn from Nature is a beautifully illustrated nonfiction picture book by Helen Ahpornsiri. It is divided into four sections: Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. Each section features colors and plants from that season, and has information about plant and animal life for that season. It also features the animals stereotypically associated with those animals.

What makes this book so special is that Ahpornsiri uses plants and flowers to create the pictures in her book. It is truly a masterpiece! This book has something for everyone.

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I followed this artist on instagram before the book was published. Her artwork is simply amazing: she uses pressed plants to create intricate forms (mostly flora and fauna, as here). The accompanying text is informative but not necessarily earthshaking. The main reason to read this book is to marvel at the artistry. My favorite spread is one with mushrooms in the Autumn section. The one thing I miss (compared to instagram) is the ability to pinch and expand the images for closer inspection of details!

[Rena Ackley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helen Ahpornsiri became a familiar artist to me on Instagram. She makes all her artwork from dried flowers and foliage. Some are very tiny and some are huge. She has now done several books using prints of her artwork and then includes information about the animals, birds, insects during different seasons, their habitats, their life cycles. The illustrations are incredible, especially when you know how she makes them. Whether you are an adult or a child, you can look at one piece and be amazed. It is a book that can be looked at over and over again.

[Laura (Book Scrounger) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book, in which every element of every picture was made from some kind of pressed plant arranged into a collage. Text-wise, the book is a basic overview of some common (in the UK, but most would apply to North America too) animals and other aspects of nature, showing how things change with the seasons. But it is the artwork that really makes it stand out. The kids and I enjoyed reading an occasional double page over the course of the four seasons, and I enjoyed just sitting and looking at the intricate arrangements that all build up to colorful, believable forms.

[monica ♪ · Rating 5 out of 5]

First of all, this book is sooooooo beautiful 😍
It's not an ordinary illustrated book, the illustrations were an art made by petals and leaves. And they are super gorgeous!!
I've never bought an art book before and this one really mesmerized me.

Not only how beautiful the arts are, this book also contains good informations about the life of animals and plants through the seasons— from spring to winter.
Surely a very good way to enrich the kid's knowledge about nature.
And I think not only for kids, people from all ages will enjoy this one too.