Nature's paintbox : colors from the natural world for the young artist (and those who are young at heart)
(Book)

What sets Nature's Paintbox apart is its emphasis on stimulating in children their creativity and their sense of 'awe' and 'wonder' toward nature. This book, however, is not just another recipe book for homemade natural paints, dyes, and ink. Nature's Paintbox contains diverse and cross-cultural fantastic stories that should be read to children and students to stimulate and deepen their appreciation for the arts and craft projects. It is also a testimony to the author's sensitivity that she includes very specific Native American influenced gathering instructions for field collecting plants and flowers that will not only spare the plants from being mangled by insensitive persons but will also reverently 'thank' the plant for its contributions to the gatherer's natural paintbox of colors. In this way, the book integrates fully a respect for nature and its abundant botanical wonders and mineral colors that goes far beyond the simple mechanics of creating plant dyes, mineral paints, botanical inks, and mordants.