My enormous thanks to Natasha Finn At DK Books for sending me a copy of the children’s book Make Art With Nature by Pippa Pixley in return for an honest review. What better way to celebrate World Book Day than by sharing my review?

Published by DK Books today, 7th March 2024, Make Art With Nature is available for purchase through the links here.

Make Art With Nature

Artist Pippa Pixley shows children how to make amazing art with materials found in nature in this hands-on book.

Get creative and make incredible pieces of art using rocks, wood, berries, flowers, and leaves in this nature craft book for children ages 7-9.

Find out how the very earth beneath your feet can be used to make paints and pastels, and how flowers can be repurposed to create inks. Children can learn how to pour paint onto a canvas, how to put pencil to paper and draw, how bits of old paper can make a beautiful collage, and how different mediums can come together to create incredible prints through nature.

Inside this hands-on craft book for children, you’ll find:

– Plenty of tips and techniques on how to draw, paint, print and collage, through easy-to-follow instructions.
– Art through nature encourages children to explore outside and find natural materials to make art.
– A clear layout divided into different art forms; drawing, collaging, painting and printing, so you can easily find the section you’re looking for.

Become inspired in Make Art with Nature, as Pippa takes you into the outdoors and shows you a wide range of artistic techniques, from understanding basic colour theory, to creating texture, movement, and fluidity in your own work. Kids will love learning how to master different art forms, but also how to make their own art supplies whilst getting outside and exploring nature.

My Review of Make Art With Nature

A children’s art book based on the natural world.

Wow. What a stunning book.

In common with all the DK children’s books I’ve encountered this one is produced to an exceptionally high standard with a very robust cover making Make Art With Nature durable in settings where it will get a lot of use. The endpapers are bright and colourful with a leaf motif that reflects the natural element of the book and throughout there are vibrant, engaging and colourful illustrations that work in fantastic tandem with the writing. I thought the inclusion of occasional photographs of the author, Pippa Pixley gave Make Art With Nature an intimate flavour when coupled with the font style and the final author letter, as if the book had been written especially for the young reader personally, making it a wonderful gift book.

Make Art With Nature would be fantastic to use in educational settings because, as well as the physical attributes I’ve mentioned, it has a clear table of contents and an index that can support literacy work. It would be perfect for Forest School activities too. I liked the historical and geographical aspects such as cave art too, as I think they would make brilliant further research projects. There’s also clear health and safety advice with red bordered advice panels and warning triangles so that children know when to ask an adult to assist such as when wielding scissors.

However, one of its greatest successes is that Make Art With Nature is inclusive for children who don’t necessarily have access to outside space. Whilst some activities like Japanese dorodango (and no, I hadn’t heard of it either) would require outdoor access, other things like using red cabbage to make colours for artwork can be achieved in any home or setting. Next time I burn my toast, I won’t be throwing the scrapings away!

I thought Make Art With Nature was absolutely wonderful. It is interesting, inspiring and inclusive. Although the stated target age range is 7-9 year olds, I can imagine children of all ages and adults alike being motivated to make their own art as a result of this fabulous book.

About Pippa Pixley

Pippa Pixley loves to combine her skills as an author and artist to create beautiful picture books.  She also loves to share her experience with children and their teachers, and with art groups and organisations.

For further information, visit Pippa’s website, follow her on Twitter/X @PippaPixley1 and find Pippa on Instagram and Facebook.