Thursday, February 25, 2010

The Herbarium

by Emilie Vast
18 different broad-leaved trees from Europe are represented here. A delicate and detailed illustration of the leaf and the full branch invite children to collect them in nature. Below, the text explains in a few lines the origins of the spice, when it was implanted in Europe, the mythological stories linked to it and the different uses of its wood or leaves.

Non-fiction Mention at 2010 Bologna Ragazzi Awards:

"Emilie Wast has created an authentic, scientific herbarium. Hers is a clear, almost stark, style infused with poetry. (...) Each plate is a typographical pearl, uncluttered and austere. Yet the herbarium also alludes to the enormous complexity behind the art of classifying the natural world."
40 pages, 21,5 x 29 cm, 6 years+
Rights sold: Italian