Pocantico Hills CSD

During her presentation to Pocantico elementary students, author Nana Euka Brew-Hammond used her own curiosity, science and easy demeanor to help students get excited about the colorful world around them.

And her story involves snails. And red cabbage.

It all began when the text she was reading mentioned a blue curtain. It made her wonder why was the color of the curtain important? Why mention it all?

Curiosity sent her on a great adventure where she learned that there was a snail that was used to create blue for fabrics. This was discovered when a fisherman saw his dog eat a certain type of snail and it left the dog with a blue tongue. Fascinated, Ms. Brew-Hammond researched more.
The more she discovered about blue, the more intrigued she became.

“I found out there are a lot of things that can create the color blue, plants, flowers,” she said. And yes, red cabbage too.

And to prove her point, Ms. Brew-Hammond showed how powerful the cabbage can be when she scooped some of the red cabbage she had been boiling on hot plate into a clear bowl. The resulting cabbage-water was purple, thanks to the antioxidant anthocyanin. That was until she added some baking soda, and the water suddenly turned a blue-green color, much to the amazement of the students. When vinegar was added, the liquid turned a bright magenta.

“What is so interesting, are the colors in nature can be so unexpected, there are so many surprises in nature,” she said.

“Did you know how many things a history behind it have,” she asked. “I had to write a story about it.”

This resulted in her book “Blue, A History of the Color as Deep as the Sea and as Wide as the Sky.”

The story tells how the color was created in ancient times, using the aforementioned snails, minerals found in rocks, indigo, and even the chemically created color blue dye, created by Adolf von Baeyer.

The story shares how blue was so difficult to find and create, that it came to be considered sacred and often only found among the wealthiest people.

“But in nature, it’s the blue sky and the sea,” Ms. Brew-Hammond said. “It’s the science of it, the poetry of it.”

“What is so inspiring, I got interested in all the colors,” she continued. “There is a story behind all of it. All colors have something so fascinating, so sacred and holy with it. Every culture and human makes a connection to what we see around us. It animates your imagination.”

Having finished her deep dive into blue, Ms. Brew-Hammon shared with students that she has found two new colors for two new books. In one she will explore red, in another, yellow.

“I want to encourage you, when you read something, the story does not have to end there,” she said. “Do some research about what you read.”

Reading was one of her favorite hobbies growing up, as was writing. One of her teachers would give her an extra writing assignment now and then to encourage her interest. Ms. Brew-Hammond grew up in New York and currently lives in California, where she has enjoyed a career as a writer. In 2010 she published a Young Adult novel, “Powder Necklace,” and has written other books for this age group as well as adults.