Antoine O Flatharta

This is the kind of book that gets the Caldecott award.

The poetic style, the depth, that was achieved by naming the tortoise and not naming the butterflies, by mixing story & information, by limiting the palette and using watercolors in a slightly impressionistic manner, worked very well for me. I see that some of the other reviewers didn't care for the book, sometimes because it seemed to them to be over-reaching or to be a mish-mash, and that's fine. But I do think that many children, show more especially if they slow down and re-read this, will both enjoy it and feel an enriched spirit because of it.

It's definitely not something you read as part of a stack of picture books to get through before they're due at the library. I will be looking for more by both Antoine O' Flatharta and Meilo So. show less

Good story of a turtle and a monarch butterfly. Tells the story of the butterfly and contrasts it with a slower, calmer existence - the turtle's. The language is easy to read to pre-readers and readers alike.

While this novel is not written by Rohmann, we see themes within his work traversing through Conor's story of immigration to America. We start with a Prairie Train dreaming of life as a boat and is helped by an unexpected friend, Conor, in realizing that dream through a dream. Through this realization, each continue with greater zest for life through the odd comforts a great adventure can bring. As expected, Rohmann's paintings bring perfect details to this story, from the fate of Conor's show more beloved toy boat to the natural wonders of his home, the Midwest. show less

Sure wish I knew how this was recommended to me. I just wasn't impressed. But then, it felt an awful lot like [a:Chris Van Allsburg|9685|Chris Van Allsburg|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1264399536p2/9685.jpg] and I am not a fan of his work, either.