Saving the Butterfly by Helen Cooper, Gill Smith
Published by Candlewick Press on June 21, 2022
ISBN: 1536220558
Pages: 32
Genres: Realistic Fiction
Format: Picture Book Fiction
Goodreads

This book opens with two children being removed from a boat. They are the only two who have survived the journey. The younger sibling adjusts to their new life easier than the older sister who stays inside and hides. The world trauma is not explicitly mentioned, but older readers will understand “shadows and worries” are references to her past. When her younger bothers brings her a butterfly, its color and flight lure her outside. The predominately charcoal-colored pages become filled with more color and activity throughout the book, but, the words let the reader know that things are better for this one day and that there is no tidy ending to some life experiences. Close readers will notice the barbed-wire fence on the end sheets and borders of some of the pages, but other than that there is no mention of being a refugee. Interestingly, Amazon has a subtitle listed for this book “A Story about Refugees”, but this does not appear in the book or in the official MARC record. This subtitle would help prepare readers for the story and back matter at the end might help readers connect this story with real-world events.

Reviewed by Elizabeth Andersen, Dyer Elementary School