Reviewed by
Dianne Bates
This
beautifully illustrated picture book is by the author of the immensely popular book
for young readers, The Gruffalo. In a lush garden, full of plants and
insects, lives a woolly bear caterpillar which loves eating dandelion plants. However,
when the dandelions are pulled up by a gardener, the caterpillar must crawl off
in search of new ones. On its way, it meets ‘the queen of the sycamore tree’, another
caterpillar, but this one has long yellow and orange hair. Further along the
woolly bear caterpillar meets another colourful caterpillar, then another and then
several more. All expect to become beautiful moths but tell the traveller they
don’t expect it will be exceptional.
Eventually
each of the caterpillars spin a silky coat (a cocoon) in various places. Weeks
go by and then moths are hatched. Each of them looks ‘rather dull’ and ‘quite
plain’. As moths, they search for the woolly bear moth. They find it – ‘a
lovely orange, black and white moth’ with ‘splendid blue spots’, and a body ‘striped
like a tiger.’ No longer a caterpillar, it is now a garden tiger moth, ‘the
colourful queen of the air.’
Brilliantly
written and stunningly illustrated, this engaging picture book comes complete
with a non-fiction book written by a nature specialist. The booklet tells of
real-life caterpillars and moths which were the inspiration for the characters
in this picture book for young readers aged 6+ years. We learn, for example, of
the moth’s life cycle from egg to caterpillar to pupa to adult. Some moth, it
tells us, do not need to eat but survive on the energy they stored as
caterpillars. As for the garden tiger moth, it can squirt a stinky yellow fluid
at its enemies from behind its head!
There are a
lot of interesting facts and even a glossary to read in this lovely, value-for- money
book.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Buzz Words Books would love to hear what you think.