Drawn from Nature

by Helen Ahpornsiri, Helen Ahpornsiri (Illustrator)

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763698980
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	03/13/2018
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	7.60(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

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.

Editorial Reviews

02/12/2018
In this lovely rumination on the seasons, Ahpornsiri uses hand-pressed flowers, leaves, and stems to create intricate portraits of wild animals and their environments. Each of the book’s four sections is subdivided into paragraphs that highlight some of the changes taking place: birds building their nests and butterflies collecting nectar in the spring, the chirping of crickets and the activity of nocturnal animals in the summer, and so on. Ahpornsiri surrounds her carefully arranged tableaus with white space, providing a sense of tranquility and allowing readers to observe each delicate detail: fuzzy ferns form the antlers of deer competing for a mate in autumn, and a single rust- colored petal forms the distinctive breast of a robin, a rare spot of color in winter. It’s an elegant and distinctive portrait of the changing seasons. Ages 6–9. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

The artist has an exquisite sense of page design, creating pleasing curves and patterns while employing plants and a palette particular to each season. A book to savor and share throughout the year, this is sure to inspire budding naturalists and crafters.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A beautiful blend of art and science, this one-of-a-kind resource is ideal for classroom use—or for simply reveling in the world around us.
—Booklist

Ahpornsiri surrounds her carefully arranged tableaus with white space, providing a sense of tranquility and allowing readers to observe each delicate detail...It’s an elegant and distinctive portrait of the changing seasons.
—Publishers Weekly

These illustrations, and the book’s thoughtful design, are a study in eloquence.
—Kirkus Reviews (blog)

A feast for the eyes...A beautiful gift or coffee table book.
—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

05/01/2018
Gr 2–5—A feast for the eyes. Ahpornsiri's artwork is created using leaves and flowers, intricately arranged to form owls, foxes, butterflies, branches, nests, insects, and more. The book is divided by season and describes common flora and fauna related to that time period (apparently based in a temperate climate, though that is never actually stated). Sections of headlined text such as "Butterflies & Blossoms," "In the Reeds," and "Forest Fungi" accompany the botanical collages which twist and spiral across spreads, and delicately surround the text. While solid basic information is presented about such things as the life cycle of frogs and butterflies and how and why leaves change color in autumn, the real highlight of this book is the illustrations, making the text seem slightly tacked on. Back matter consists of an author's note, photographs regarding the illustration process, and a small glossary. VERDICT A beautiful gift or coffee table book; not an essential purchase for nonfiction collections.—Jenny Berggren, Longfellow Middle School, Berkeley, CA

School Library Journal

★ 2018-01-13
A British-based Etsy artist known for intricate compositions with pressed flowers and leaves undertakes an exploration of seasons; her medium lends authenticity to the narrative.Spring is the first of four chapters; the topics described and depicted in double-page spreads include bird song and mating, nest building, and the life cycles of frogs and butterflies. Reading the two to three paragraphs per page is like hiking with a relative who is both knowledgeable and passionate about the outdoors. Ahpornsiri incorporates less-frequently-discussed behaviors into her discussions, such as deer rutting and a mother duck's transfer of waterproof oils to her babies to help them float. The captions are small, light, and feathery, making them a bit hard to read, but that is a minor flaw. The companionship of an adult reader for children up through age 8 would bridge the gap between the more complex (although clearly explained) concepts such as photosynthesis, prehensile tails, and deciduous trees and the captivating art that will attract a wide age range. Each animal is built into a delicate collage from precisely cut plant parts; the absence of visible outlines adds to the awe. The artist has an exquisite sense of page design, creating pleasing curves and patterns while employing plants and a palette particular to each season.A book to savor and share throughout the year, this is sure to inspire budding naturalists and crafters. (glossary, artist's note) (Nonfiction. 6-12)

Kirkus Reviews