Glasswings
A Butterfly's Story
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5.0 • 1 Rating
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Claire, a glasswing butterfly whose transparent wings reflect her lush home, finds herself lost in the city after being separated from her family. She doesn’t know how they will ever see her, but she finds new city friends, a pigeon, an ant, and a ladybug, who search for the flowers Claire needs to live. They come upon a tiny urban garden, and as Claire drinks from the flowers’ nectar, she pollinates more flowers. Soon the garden—and Claire's clear wings—fill with color, allowing her family to recognize her at last. Together they create an oasis for all to enjoy. Facts about glasswing butterflies and pollination complete this beautiful and educational picture book. Kleven’s latest offering is as colorful and delicate as a butterfly’s wings—a treasure that can be cherished for years.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
As a "glasswing" butterfly with transparent wings, Claire blends in with her surroundings. In a rural area, that means flowers or ferns, but when the wind sweeps her into "a city of concrete and corners," her wings take on the colors of traffic lights, sidewalks, and buildings. Kleven (The Friendship Wish) blends kaleidoscopic patterns with na f forms (Claire herself resembles a child's drawing), creating a vivid patchwork effect. The skyline resembles a quilt with clouds of boiled wool; apartment windows become tapestries of faces and collage prints, while newsprint gives gritty texture to a fledgling community garden. As a girl waters the flowers, Claire and the birds and bugs she has met help cultivate the urban ecosystem: "Claire fluttered among the flowers, sipping their nectar, carrying their sticky yellow pollen from plant to plant.... The ant stirred up the soil they grew in. The pigeon scattered their seeds this way and that." Readers won't mind the airy storyline or sentimentality; the radiance of each spread seems purely intended to provoke joy, kindheartedness, and optimism. Ages 3 5.
