Holly Keller

Summary: A duckling and a caterpillar become great friends until the caterpillar goes missing for awhile. The duckling waits and waits for him to come back, but he never does. After giving up on his friendship with the caterpillar and feeling very sad, the (now Gosling) goes swimming out in the pond nearby. She hears a voice from behind her, and it sounds quite familiar. When she turns around, she sees a beautiful butterfly. The gosling and the butterfly begin talking (still not realizing show more who each of them are) and eventually tell each other their names. After giving their names and more information about themselves, they both realize they are actually their friends from before! They are so happy to finally be reunited!

Personal reaction: This is one of my favorite books! It talks about friendship in a very interesting and realistic way. People grow and change, that's just a part of life. But just because there is change, does not mean our friendship has too! I love how Farfalina and Marcel are so happy to be reunited in the end even though they are both not what they expected, their friendship is the same!

Classroom extension ideas: Use this book to discuss the butterfly life cycle. You could also use this book for an art project of butterflies. Use paper plates, paint, pipe cleaners and create a butterfly of your own. show less

Geraldine is a little piggy who was given a baby blanket and becomes very attached to it. As she grows older her mother patches and trims it until there is very little left and her parents try and convince her that it is time to give it up. But Geraldine refuses. At christmas she is given a little stuffed pig from the same aunt who had given her the blanket and her parents were hoping that would replace the blanket. To solve the problem, Geraldine decided to turn her blanket into a dress for show more Rosa in order to keep both.
I love this book. It is very relatable to young children because almost everyone has a favorite toy or comfort item. Inevitably adults try and convince them that it is time to out grow comfort items. This book teaches kids that it is okay to have some attachments and that there is a way for them to grow and change as they do. show less

Recommended by Stephanie T.

The cutest missed connection ever: a caterpillar and a gosling become friends, but don't recognize each other after their transformations to butterfly and goose, respectively. Eventually they figure out the other's real identity, and are joyfully reunited. This story of friendship manages to be sweet without being cloying.

Goodbye, Max is a story about a child grieving the loss of his pet. Max was Ben's friend and he died of old age. The vet tried everything to help Max, but nothing worked. Max died while Ben was at school and Ben was heartbroken. When his father brings home a new puppy Ben refuses to accept him. Even when Ben's friend Zach comes over to play ball Ben refuses. While Ben and Zach deliver papers around the neighborhood, they remember all the good memories of Max and they each cry. When they show more arrive back at Ben's home, he is finally ready to name the new puppy and accept him into the family. This is a very heartfelt story. I would have acted the same way as Ben if I lost my pet. My dog Belle is 12 and I hate to see the day when it comes for her to pass. Losing a pet is very hard on anyone especially a child. They are your best friend and you try so hard to help them but sometimes nothing can be done. This can help a child who has just lost a pet to remember to think about all the good and happy memories about their pet and not just mourn over their loss. I feel the best way to deal with death is to not dwell on the sad aspects of the person's or animal’s life but how they changed your life and made you who you are today. I really like how the two boys were able to cry over Max because this shows that it is okay for boys to cry and show emotion. I feel like this was a little out of the norm where it would have been a little girl crying over her pet. show less