A little bit chemistry, a little bit history, a little bit art - the story of the man who discovered a chemical process for designing purple for the masses.

I'm not a Chemistry fan so admittedly this picture book was not my favorite in the biography realm. But learning about discoveries and how purple dye came to be was an interesting story to learn. The author's notes in the back are quite extensive which I appreciated as well. ( )

This book is all about purple and how purple dye was created in a new way for Queen Victoria's coronation. While chemist Perkins was trying to create a cure for a disease, he created purple instead. I enjoyed reading this novel because this is something I have never wondered about and I love the color purple. I would read again and recommend this to primary readers.

This is a really fun book for readers in Grades 2-4. This book talks a lot about the history of the color purple and why it is such an important color. I really liked this book because it gave me information about the color purple that I have never heard before and went over the science behind the color purple. I would use this book to introduce science and how colors don't just apply to art. ( )

We take the color purple for granted, but it was once a painstaking color to create—at times requiring the “milking” of snails, or the combining of bugs, berries, and urine! Perkin’s Perfect Purple is a factual, but light-hearted telling of a snapshot in history that had far-reaching consequences. This pleasant snapshot in time has the potential to appeal to readers interested in a variety of subjects: history, science, fashion, and uplifting stories of perseverance. My complete review appears in the September, 2020, issue of School Library Journal. I'm not permitted to post it in its entirety here. ( )