I was able to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review. I wanted to read this book because of the cover, what the heck is a mud ball!? I was pleasantly surprised, to say the least. I think this is a charming book and I'd recommend it to everyone. And while they can't read it, I'd think kids and adults alike would have a blast making mud balls!

I am absolutely in awe of this book. I don't know how I've gone so long and never heard about these.

Doradango, mud balls. Sounds so simple!
This book shows every painstaking process, step and stage in the making of these magic shiny mud balls..

The photography is lovely, the examples shown are beautiful.
I have never given dirt so much attention or interest, and certainly didn't realise how many types and colours there are.

I found the difference between dirt and soil interesting. And the history of dirt amazed me.

This is a book I will definitely be giving as a gift this Christmas and I plan to have several attempts at dorodango myself.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

Very interesting. Really want to put this into practice and make them with my children. I had heard about them before but got a great insight of knowledge from the book

Dorodango is a new tutorial and philosophy/art guide to creating hikaru dorodango, Japanese mud balls. Released 24th Sept 2019 by Laurence King, it's 128 pages and available in hardcover format.

I read and review a lot of crafting and art books as well as a fair bit of cultural philosophy. This book is both. The author has a calm, logical, and inviting writing style. He provides an impressive amount of detail and technique in the tutorials for each stage of the process, from choosing specific dirt through sifting and refining the materials, clay content, moisture, shaping and building, problem solving (cracks), texture, finishing, and more. In fact, I was quite impressed at how intricate and meditative the entire process is, especially considering the humble materials involved.

The finished products are primeval. I am astounded at the range of shades, textures, and colours resulting from water and dirt.

The short introduction (~4% of the total content) covers some of the history and background as well as the author's introduction to the process. The following chapters proceed through the steps from start to finish and include a gallery with sidebar descriptions of locations where the dirt was sourced and comments about the finished dorodango. Tools are minimal and easily available.

The photography throughout the book is spectacular. It's crystal clear and illustrative as well as being artistically appealing. A complete beginner will find all the information necessary in this volume to create, finish, and display their own dorodango. It's interesting that this is an art which had almost died out and which results in such appealing and beautiful end products.

I would heartily recommend this book and process to readers who are interested in Japanese aesthetics, philosophy, and mindfulness, as well as crafter artists looking for a new challenge.

Four stars.

This is one topic of art forms that I had never heard of but was excited to look more into it. The idea of making mud spheres as a form of art is very appealing for its pure simplicity. For anyone who is looking to try something new, this is highly recommended.

This book is amazing. I must have to say this isn’t something you can master one try but the results are undeniable beautiful. I was initially confused by some of the steps so I will just have to start slow with trial and error. I know it is something that will be rewarding and enjoyable thru the art of mastering something difficult. I love that it seems so simple yet so dependent on each step. The pictures are inspirational and I just want to play in mud. I plan to try this on a long weekends until I have successfully succeeded with more than one Dorodango than I want to try it with my grandchildren. The steps look very therapeutic and the results are undeniably beautiful. I received this book from NetGalley and I am so glad I did I am very excited to try this.

While this is a good instruction book to make shiny mud dumplings (hikaru dorodango), it sadly emenates a Westernised approach to a Japanese pastime. It is therefore lacking to mention the principle of wabi-sabi, that all things are imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete - oh sorry, it IS mentioned in a tiny paragraph on page 115. Instead it concentrates on as-near-as-possible scientific approach. The concept of “white space” (actually “negative space”) is briefly mentioned, but no mention of the Japanese term “ma” and not really correctly grasped either.
The book is an odd mixture of near-perfectionism and navel-gazing, possibly of use to the absolute dorodango beginner, although the instructions are (predictably) a little confusing. Amazing gallery pictures to aspire to.

I had never heard of Dorodango before I received this ARC. I think this is a unique and wonderful way to preserve a special place. I think it would also special to add cremains to one's Dorodango. I never would have dreamed that you could take mud and turn it into such a pretty and shiny ball. Reading the book, I do see that it is not a quick and simple process. Bruce Gardner does a wonderful job in going through each and every step and explains what could possibly go wrong and how to fix mistakes. The photographs are exquisite. Dorodango is a beautiful book about a slow, meditative process.
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