Sunday, December 12, 2021

Review: Caterpillar's Surprise by Janet Halfmann

 


CATERPILLAR'S SURPRISE
by Janet Halfmann
Illustrated by Emily Krueger
Black Rose Writing
Picture Book
34 pages
ages 4 to 8

A masquerade ball with a blue ribbon! Caterpillar dreams of winning, but wonders how she can since she is just a baby. Tadpole convinces her that her natural baby disguise as bird poo is perfect.

As Caterpillar grows, her look changes, and she worries again. Tadpole tells her she now looks like a scary snake, and is sure to win! Then . . . just weeks before the ball, Caterpillar spins a chrysalis and hangs unmoving from her tree. Now, even Tadpole (who is changing into a frog) is worried.

Will Caterpillar break out of her chrysalis in time? And if she makes it to the ball, will she still think winning is the most important thing of all?


GOODREADS   /   AMAZON   /   B&N   


MY TIDBITS

Friendship weaves right in with the wonders of nature in this cute tale, which is more than a lovely story.

Caterpillar wants to win the masquerade ball but doubts she can until her friend, Tadpole, tells her that her appearance as bird droppings is perfect. Too bad she's growing and changing because before she knows it, she no longer matches that at all. When she finally spins her chrysalis and the ball is still approaching, even Tadpole is getting concerned she might not make it after all. But things might be approaching a surprise.

This is such a cute read, which incorporates a bit of nature and facts right along with a sweet bond of friendship. Caterpillar is easy to understand as she dreams of getting a prize but has no idea how to accomplish it. And as she changes more and more, young readers will wonder right with her, whether she can achieve her goal or not. Even Tadpole is a fun character as he gives his support as a true friend should...and that while he's changing himself. They are a fun pair to follow and root for until the end.

The illustrations are done with love and allow the heart-warming friendship to come across nicely. They also allow the various stages of the caterpillars and tadpole's developments to come across in a way, which is easy to understand and recognize. They accompany the text nicely, which is also well written for the age group.

In other words, this is a read which hits two purposes as once and does it with lots of finesse.


You can learn more about Janet Halfmann at her website:



2 comments:

Janet Halfmann said...

Thank you so much for this lovely review. It captures the essence of the story so well! Happy Masquerade Ball and Happy Reading to All!

Heather N. Quinn said...

That's a clever premise that's sure to strike a cord with kids. Thanks for sharing!