Shopping Cart
Perkin’s Perfect Purple
How a Boy Created Color with Chemistry
Description
The fascinating true story of groundbreaking chemist William Perkin, who used the scientific method to invent a new way for creating the color purple.
Many years ago, the color purple was available only to a privileged few. Making purple was tricky. The dye was concocted from a certain snail, and later, from plants, bugs, and rocks. Then it had to be soaked in minerals and . . . urine! The process was very complicated and expensive (not to mention smelly!).
Until 1856, when a boy named William Henry Perkin invented a new way. While testing a hypothesis about a cure for malaria, he found that his experiment resulted in something else — something vivid and rare for the times: synthetic PURPLE. Perkin, a pioneer of the modern scientific method, made numerous advances possible, including canned food and chemotherapy. But it was his creation of purple that started it all.
Authors Tami Lewis Brown and Debbie Loren Dunn craft a compelling tale, and Francesca Sanna’s dynamic art is a joyous celebration of Perkin’s impactful purple.
Praise
"Perfect for STEAM-infused reading and for grasping the value of serendipity."
—Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"This pleasant narrative detailing an unexpected discovery could appeal to readers interested in a variety of subjects: history, science, fashion, and uplifting stories of perseverance."
—School Library Journal
"Brown and Dunn provide a thorough history of the color purple and reinforce the important, lifesaving ripple effects Perkin's discovery and systematic methods had across the scientific community; they smartly devote several pages to Perkin's meticulous scientific process."
—Horn Book
