Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly (2007)

It won the Lupine Award last year, and I hope it wins the Chickadee Award this year. One of my favorite picture books.

It didn't win. It lost to another book. Nominated 2008-2009. ( )

REVIEW: "It's hard to be Velma entering first grade. That's because everyone has marvelous memories of her two older sisters, who were practically perfect first graders, and no one even notices Velma. But all that changes on a class trip to the butterfly conservatory, a place neither of her sisters has been. When a monarch roosts on Velma's finger and won't budge for days—no one will ever forget it . . . or her!"-www.amazon.com
SOURCE: Lakewood Library
AGE: 4-7

The theme of this book is transformation and finding yourself. This theme is extremely worthwhile because it children are always struggling to find what they are good at, to be noticed, and acknowledged. The illustrations really emphasized the analogous relationship between metamorphosis and Verma's transformation. I also think that the illustrations made Gerta and her struggles relatable to a wide audience which is very important.

Great book about fitting in and finding out what you do best instead of trying to be like your siblings. Velma starts school and everybody remembers her two older sister and she desperately wants to be remembered, enough so that even being remembered by negatives things is better than not being remembered at all. She loves butterflies and one day on a field trip to the butterly conservatory a Monarch butterfly lands on her and does not fly away. It stays on her all the way home, through school, while she slept, it stayed on her for days. Finally she remembered that butterflies migrate south for the winter, so she sets it free and is remembered because it was such a cool thing to do. Great story for discussing finding what you like and being remembered for you and not worrying about living up to your siblings. ( )

Pretty fun story about a kid who is trying to live up to her big sisters' reputations, gets into trouble, and then finds her own bliss in a butterfly. Sibling relationships, butterfly knowledge, going to school, finding a passion of your own -- a lot going on in a good picture book. ( )