INDIGO HANDS

A young Indian child learns the ancient craft of indigo dyeing.

Neela is excited to accompany Dadu (Grandfather) to his studio. They walk to a farm where sari-clad women are harvesting indigo leaves, which are immediately taken to be soaked in tanks to yield their deepest hue. After fermentation and oxidation, the leaves eventually turn into blue paste. At Dadu’s studio, Neela is mesmerized by the myriad shades of blue. Both of them bow before a dried cake of dye that gives color to fabrics and yarns. The child learns to mix dye in vats set into the earthen floor, vats that have been filled and stirred by generations of dyers. The youngster even dip-dyes some fabric in indigo—and, at book’s close, wraps baby brother Suneel with the cloth. Joshi’s bright illustrations are interspersed with poster-style pages—framed vignettes with indigo and white borders and captions that pop. Though at times Singh’s verbose text drags, the author clearly lays out the steps of dyeing while also making clever use of names (Neela means blue, while Suneel means good blue). In both artwork and text, the love between grandfather and grandchild is palpable; dyeing truly is a family affair. Backmatter rounds out the work with an author’s note, further facts about indigo, a glossary, and resources.

Visually vibrant and illuminating.