My Indigo World

Title: My Indigo World
Author: Rosa Chang
Major Themes: Indigo, Dye, Korea, Gardening
Synopsis: The color blue is made from indigo plants, but how are the plants grown and how is the color extracted?

I’ve always known that indigo was a dye that came from plants, but I never even stopped to think about how it was extracted from them. When I came across My Indigo World and saw what it was about, I knew that my daughter would enjoy reading it, as well as me. We read it together last night, and both of us found it quite interesting.

Apparently, blue is a favorite color in Korea. Rosa Chang grew up in Korea, where she was surrounded by blue, but she never grew indigo until she lived in the United States as an adult. With friends, she began growing the indigo plant in the middle of Baltimore. As the plants grow through the summer, they harvest the leaves and extract the blue dye. Then, the people who helped grow the indigo each dye cloth in their own designs.

After the story, there are several pages of additional information. The four plants from which indigo dye is extracted are described. One two-page spread talks about the significance of indigo in Korean culture. Finally, there are instructions for two more methods of extracting the color, in addition to the one described in the story. 

I found My Indigo World quite fascinating. As I said at the beginning, I had never even wondered about where indigo dye came from. I’ve read about it in various books about people in the 18th and 19th centuries, who would purchase blocks of it from itinerant peddlers, for instance. Now, I know where the dye comes from and how it is made! 

This is a beautiful picture book. It is illustrated with both watercolor paintings and pictures of dyed textiles. This would be a perfect gift for anyone who loves gardening, crafts, or art.

I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

WARNING: On page 13 is this sentence: “As we work together, we pause to thank the Earth, the indigo plants themselves, and everyone who joins us in the garden.” On page 22 I found this: “Indigo…is the color of healing….” and “…indigo is the color in which lives the spirit and soul of my people.” This smacks of worship of the creation rather than the Creator, to me.

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