If You Want to Be a Butterfly by Mu'ọ'n Thị Văn (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: If You Want to Be a Butterfly by Mu'ọ'n Thị Văn Natalie Berglind Văn, Mu'ọ'n Thị If You Want to Be a Butterfly; illus. by Andrea Armstrong. Kids Can, 2023 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781525305467 $21.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781525310287 $12.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R 3-6 yrs In this picture book, the life cycle of a butterfly is depicted in reverse. First, the butterfly must welcome the world: "Hello rustle! / Hello glimmer! / Goodbye darkness / and hello light!" But before being a butterfly, the narrator explains that "you must be a chrysalis" and weather the elements until it's time to hatch. Before that, a caterpillar must: "Never use a fork / and never use a spoon, / and always lick / the itty-bitty leaf crumbs / from your itty-bitty thumbs." Still before that, an egg clinging to a leaf, dreaming of the world to come, and even before that, a butterfly again. Văn's dreamy, lyrical text depicts this scientific process in all its wonder, making this an accessible way for kids to learn about—and appreciate the [End Page 74] amazing nature of—the cycle of a butterfly's life. Armstrong's vibrant, cartoonish digital art gives rich colors to the magical sunsets and blue-green nights; the butterfly has big, goofy eyes as it welcomes the world and the caterpillar has an appropriately grumpy pudginess, all of which add to the wondrous feeling of the narrative. A fuller and slightly more scientific explanation is included at the end, ensuring that kids can apply the magic of this book to the science, with better understanding of what happens between the stages of a butterfly's existence. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois