Indigo is celebrated as a color, a plant, and an art form in a multifaceted volume that begins with the author’s childhood recollections of the color blue. Growing up in Korea, she admired blue in its many forms: the fluctuating blue of the sky, the stripes on the sleeves of her hanbok, the sea. Now an adult living in the United States, she grows indigo on a small cooperative farm. Each summer she and her friends cultivate the plants from seeds, harvest the leaves, and make their own indigo dye—“the bluest blue of all”—which they use to color a variety of garments and other fabrics. Indigo is more than just a color; for her and her friends, it represents connection, cultural heritage, and healing. (Korea has a long cultural history of jjok, or indigo, dyeing.) The narrative touches on the uses of indigo around the world and its history in the United States while remaining grounded in the author’s personal experience. Illustrations made using watercolors and hand-dyed indigo fabrics include clear, labeled images showing the steps of the indigo-making process. Extensive end matter includes information about indigo species and Korean jjok dyeing, a map showing the variance in indigo shades around the world, and instructions for making indigo dye using two traditional East Asian methods. (Ages 5-9)

This gorgeous celebration of the color blue and the indigo plant, by a Korean American debut artist and storyteller, powerfully connects art and the natural world.

With lavish mixed-media art including watercolor painting and hand-dyed textiles, debut author-illustrator Rosa Chang pays tribute to the science and art of growing the indigo plant and making indigo dye. Woven throughout is a poetic tribute to the color blue, Chang’s favorite since her girlhood in Korea, and an appreciation of the indigo plant as a valued source of blue dye in cultures around the world. Informative back matter tells more about the science behind indigo dye production, with an “indigo map” of the shades of blue produced by indigo around the world, and simple instructions for growing your own indigo plants and making homemade blue dye.