Before Colors: Where Pigments and Dyes Come From

by Annette Bay Pimentel, Madison Safer (Illustrator)

Colors don’t come out of nothing.
They always start somewhere . . . with something . . . with someone.

Brown roots are ground into bright yellow powder.
A yellow sea snail produces vivid purple dye.
Purple berries are crushed and mixed up into a green pigment.

Since ancient times, artists have sourced colors from the most unexpected places.
Trace the line from Earth's abundant beauty to the beauty of color as it is used in art and culture around the world. Organized by color and how each color is sourced, this encyclopedic look at pigments and dyes shows curious readers how colors are made.

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

88 pages, Hardcover

Published June 6, 2023

About the author

I write books for kids about the people and ideas that shape our world.

Reviews

[Melody Schwarting · Rating 3 out of 5]

A beautiful exploration of pigments and dyes. It's an oversized picture book, starting with a full spread illustration of someone gathering a pigment or dye from nature, then explaining what color that resource becomes and how it is made. A page follows showing an artist known for using that color (or scientist known for making it), and various sources of colors (animal, vegetable, mineral). It's not a straightforward read-aloud, but each section would be useful for units on different colors, or for a child's research into pigments and dyes.

Unfortunately, for me, this book lacked a few key resources. It expected a basic knowledge of how eyes work without providing visuals. It mentioned color charts and different systems for categorizing color without showing any (not counting the illustration of a rainbow...that only had 5 colors). I would have appreciated more detail in this regard. I expect more from a science-based picture book.

At the end, a few activities are suggested without much instruction, but they are simple and use found objects, and one offers a clever, easy way for kids to learn how light mixes.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative and multicultural. Will be especially appreciated if you like art. My favorite exhibit at the Acropolis Museum was the one about pigments- so I was thrilled to learn more about their origins.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this overview of color and how our bodies perceive it. I thought it was straightforward, interesting, but not too dense.

[Camryn Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually so interesting... way too much text for a children's book, tho, right?? Idk what kid would understand this information but maybe i'm underestimating the youth!

[Wren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Pimentel and illustrator Safer have another hit on their hands. Last year I read _Before Music_ and was informated and entranced. This year I am learning about the origins of color, and it's fascinating.

The sections not only highlight how colors come from plants, rocks, or animals. The sections also describe the origins of various colors such as purple, blue, green, blue and white. Additionally, there are individuals or pairs of people who are notable for their use of particular colors either as artists or crafts people.

I got to meet Iwan Tirta, an attorney who turned his attention to making batik fabrics and helping Indonesians preserve this art form.

I got to meet Karen Casselman, who has written several books about dyeing items with colors from lichens. I got to meet Juana Guitierrez Contreras, who restored the art of using natural materials for dyeing colors, including the very difficult dye color of green.

I got to meet Vinzenz and U"lrike Koch-Brinkmann who have studied ancient sculptures that have lost their colors and appear white, but they have done research on the pigments available to ancient artists (Greeks and Romans from the Classica era for example) for painting.

The back matter includes a lot of selected sources. Art teachers may want to use this book as a springboard into art history or teachers who use a whole language approach can weave together art, science, technology, commerce, geography, and history by using this book as an anchor to other sources.

This book is oversized, but it's worth all the space it will require on your bookshelf.

[Panda Incognito · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned a lot from this! The book explains how people in different historical periods have produced different dye colors, unpacks the science of how the eyes perceive color, and profiles different artists. The author paced the information well through the book without making any of the technical content overwhelming, and this will appeal to older elementary-aged kids, teens, and adults who find the subject appealing.

People who enjoyed this deep dive may also like these books:

Perkin's Perfect Purple: How a Boy Created Color with Chemistry
Blue: A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky
My Indigo World: A True Story of the Color Blue

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Children's nonfiction. This book explores how colors are sourced- various animal, plant, and mineral sources to produce each color. It also features artists from around the world who use or helped revive the use of these natural dyes. The book was an interesting topic but tried to include too much. Many color sources fell out of use because they were toxic (often lead-based, but at least one made use of arsenic), or faded when exposed to light. Others required mixing, sometimes with dangerous chemicals, although some of that science was not particularly clear.

There were a few things that seemed to be missing. It would have been nice to see some visual comparison of the colors from different sources, for example the difference between orange from henna vs cadmium orange. I also would have liked photographs of some of the colors or some of the traditional techniques mentioned. And the back matter was interesting, including different ways people have tried to organize colors, but that included no pictures to support the text.

I learned quite a bit, went on at least one internet search to find more information (namely actual pictures), but found the book a bit hard to get through and with very small print. 3.5 stars, rounded down on goodreads to separate from 4 star reads.

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars (I really liked it)

This was such a cool book. I love how some pages are more like a traditional picture book and those pages build upon one another in a chain so if the last color discussed was black, the next "picture book" page starts with black until introducing a new color. If reading with young children, you could even skip the pages that come between and it would still be a cute story. The in between pages tell information about colors, the plants/animals/minerals we get color from, the process of using color/seeing color, etc. So much is included but it doesn't overwhelm. There are lots of experiment opportunities as well (a few throughout but most are in the back matter).

My biggest problem with this book is that it is oversized. I will likely not purchase for my school library because these oversized books are hard to shelf and hard for students to carry and take home. Bummer.

[Chandler Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a fact that no phenomenon sprouts into being out of nowhere. Everything from fashion trends to social etiquette started with one person or one thing (though tracking the true origins of any concept is all but impossible). Annette Pimentel has taken on the challenge of tracing the lineage of the colors we know today to their pure roots in nature and their earliest applications in art and fashion. Described as “an encyclopedia look at pigments and dyes,” this book may be just a bit too much for readers to enjoy. Like a well developed novel, though, it takes more than one read through to catch Pimentel’s pattern for addressing the colors and kids might get a kick out of the guessing game at the beginning of each section where they will more than likely guess incorrectly - purple berries do not, in fact, produce the color purple.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was so interesting and informative. I read enough informational picture books that regurgitate the same information over and over, that I get excited about books that teach me something new. I thought this book shared an impressive amount of information about colors, pigments, and dyes in so many interesting ways. I liked the pop-outs of different colorful characters who used/use colors in particular ways. I liked the brief extension ideas in the back.

I don't think this is a book meant to stand alone, but as part of further units on and about color.

[Sheniya Goldston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Before Colors: Where Pigments and Dyes Come From by Annette Bay Pimentel is an educational book that tells us the history and science behind colors. The story goes on to explain where natural dyes and pigments come from and how people discovered ways to make them. The book is easy to understand and has clear examples, so you don’t need a science background to follow along. It also talks about the people and cultures that have contributed to the process. While it’s a little short, it’s packed with cool facts. It’s great for anyone curious about art, history, or science.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before Colors is bursting at the seams with fascinating and surprising information on the history and science of colors. The prose is clear with a lyrical spin, and the stories of individuals who had a meaningful impact on humanity's relationship with and understanding of colors are well-chosen. It's a book that effortlessly weaves together the worlds of art, science, and nature, and is as great for casual browsing as for studied exploration.

[Janet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fascinating addition to Before Music. With lyrical language about how color comes about coupled with informational pages about the color history, your kids will be sucked in. I left my copy on the table, and caught every family member engrossed at one time or another (from my husband, down to my 14-year-old).

The oversized book makes it fun to look through, and allows the pictures to be that much more fun to be studied. I highly recommend this one!

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5

The scope of this book is magnificent; it pulls in art and colors, the science of light and pigment, natural history, mini-biographies, and more, all rooted in the colors we see and make and use.

The illustrations are lovely, and while the content is a loosely organized hodgepodge, I could not help but admire the ambition of the author and illustrator. Everything about this is oversized.

[Andi Butler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it’s just about where pigments and dyes originated, and how they were developed. Color can get easily complicated when talking about light and how we see and, and, and… The only criticism is the size of the physical book. It’s huge! It’s cumbersome to carry around, which, If I were 10 yo me, I’d want to look for some of what’s in this book so I’d want to take it with me.

[Lillian Green · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Before Colors: Where Pigments and Dyes Come From" by Annette Bay Pimentel is an engaging and informative exploration of the origins of colors in the world around us. This beautifully illustrated hardcover book takes readers on a journey through history, revealing how various pigments and dyes were sourced from natural materials long before the invention of synthetic colors.

[Christine Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Towards the end of the book, there was a dark red ant on the page. I killed it, and it left a streak of dark brown- similar to umber. After reading the book, I know that that's what it's all about! I left my mark (literally) on the history of where pigments and dyes come from. Great fun!

[Jorden · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a lovely book!!! When I picked up this children's book I was not expecting something so educational and scientific. I learned a lot about pigment and would honestly love to own this book. This will be on the bookshelf for my future children

[Mother Goose Librarian]

This is a beautiful, oversized, picture book. It’s a mix of nature, art, science, history, and color. This interesting encyclopedia type book looks at pigments and dyes and how they are made and used around the world.

[Cecile · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another potentially awesome book ruined by erroneous dating; even my child did not want to read it.

[Alice · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 Stars This book was so much fun. I love paint and art and this was facisnating. The pictures are great the info it great!

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of great information about color and it’s uses also has great biographies of unique people and their use of color

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating, beautifully illustrated book about the history and creation of colors from ancient times through the present.

[Aimee Ardonne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating! I really liked this nonfiction picture book. The art is gorgeous, and I learned a lot about color :)

[Connie T. · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting look at pigments and dyes through the ages: where they come from, how they're made, and how they're used. Heavily illustrated.

[Jackie Law · Rating 5 out of 5]

http://lunawings.blogspot.com/2024/05...

[Mgb · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the right kid (or adult), this book could be a great summer’s worth of exploration. Love love love this book!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting nonfiction read

[Bonn · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's art meets ethnobotany, meets geology, meets history....in a children's book. It is perfection.

[Myrrh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to pigments, dyes, and the artists that used them. Includes both ancient and modern achievements in this area.