The Beautiful Butterfly: A Folktale from Spain - Hardcover

Judy Sierra holds a Ph.D. in folklore from UCLA and has compiled several books of folklore for teachers and storytellers. The author of many successful picture books, Victoria Chess illustrated GOOD NIGHT, DINOSAURS and many other successful books for children. She lives in Warren, Connecticut. she lives in Northern California.

A whimsical small story is given a new turn in this retelling, very suitable in its rhythms for storytime. A butterfly makes her home in the hollow of a tree, and everyone loves her. Soon shes paid court by the cricket and the frog. She asks each how he would sing to their babies, but is put off by the harshness of their songs. Then the mouse proposes, and she finds his song sweet and soft, and so they are married. She sends him off to the pond to get water for their honeymoon sugar-and-rose-petal soup; alas, he falls into the water and is snapped up by a large fish. In classic storytelling cadence, the butterfly puts on mourning and weeps by the pond, the dove coo coos in sympathy, the tree drops leaves, the pond shrinks, and the queen breaks her water jars in solidarity, until the king comes by. He decides to grieve by stripping to the royal underwear, which causes such mirth among the mourners that everyone laughs, including the fish that swallowed the mouse, who pops out unharmed. He and the butterfly raise a family of little buttermice, and every night the mouse sings softly to them. Chesss (The Little Buggers, not reviewed, etc.) illustrations, full of droll wit, feature roundheaded, anthropomorphized insects in luscious colors: a glowing fuchsia, a sundrenched yellow, a bright grass green. (authors note) (Folktale/picture book. 4-7)-- Copyright © 2000 Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.