We had so much fun with these books, a movie, and an activity. Trying our hand at gold leafing really made us feel like monks making medieval manuscript illuminations. We paired this study with geography studies of the Celtic nations: Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
Picture Books and Movie
The Sailor Who Captured the Sea
This is a story of the Book of Kells, about three brothers who become artists. They help the monks complete the famous Book of Kells and keep it safe from the Vikings.
Movie: The Secret of Kells
We watched this movie after learning about the Book of Kells through the previous book and a video from Khan Academy. The movie describes the life of a boy and a cat, Pangur Ban, who serves the monks in an Irish monastery. He ends up saving the beautiful Book of Kells from the Vikings.
Well, we discovered that the cat from the movie is from an actual Irish poem called Pangur Bán! This picture book is a retelling of a monk’s life from Pangur Ban’s point of view. In it are illustrations of medieval manuscript illuminations. Don’t miss the end notes with more information about the poem.
We read this book last, but it is the most comprehensive book about the creation of medieval manuscript illuminations. If you can only read one book about the process, it’s this one. The illustrations are beautifully intricate and detailed. This book is on the wordier side, wtih four short sections. It takes place in Paris, France.
The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane
Back to Ireland! Brother Theophane is a monk who is in charge of making the ink. A free spirit, he escapes to roam in the great outdoors. He gathers various items from nature to make brilliantly colored inks instead of the same old brown ink. This book is written in a lilting rhyme and contains translated quotations by Irish monks throughout. To make the brightly colored illustrations, the illustrator created papercuts, made prints from them, and then applied watercolor.
Other picture books about Monks Medieval Manuscript Illuminations
Make your own Medieval Manuscript Illuminations
We used this Illuminated Manuscripts unit to create our own medieval manuscript illuminations. Take 10% off with my affiliate code: AROUNDTHEWORLD.
Betsy has provided hand-drawn pages for every letter of the alphabet: a huge short-cut for creating these illuminations! There is also a page where you can create your own Lombardic capital in the rectangle provided and write your own words (or copy a verse or quotation).
You can find gold leaf or gold foil on Amazon or your local craft store. It requires the correct adhesive, but other than that, we found the gold leaf to be a brilliant project (pun intended). Yes, it is messy but I don’t mind having a little bit of gold on the table or floor.