Brother Theophane, a monk in the Mourne Mountains in Ireland, struggles to focus on his copying chores in the scriptorium. God's creation beckons him to delight in the outdoors. Because of his lack of discipline, he is relegated to make the brown ink. To take a break from the tedious task, Brother Theophane walks the countryside, marveling at the color in God's creation. An idea forms that transforms the monks' copy work forever!
A fictional account but readers will learn about how books were copied, about monks, and about illuminated manuscripts. Ms. Millen also incorporates anonymous poems that monks doodled on leftover scraps of parchment or in the margins of their books.
A delightful story with stunning illustrations I, of course, loved reading how different plants made different hues of paint.
The author's note offers more information about the topic. She even provides links to make your own hawthorn bark ink, to extract colors from plants, and how illuminated manuscripts were made. Even though the text is simple, junior high students can marvel at the word choice and writing style and also learn about this time period and occupation.
**Highly, highly recommend.
Borrowed via ILL -I bought this book, so I own it too now.
