  | Butterfly child Author: Majewski, Marc | |
| Price: $23.28 | ||
Summary:
A young child loves the spots and patterns found on butterflies. He fashions himself beautifully bold orange wings and proudly declares himself a butterfly child. But when other kids shun him for the clothes they don't understand, it takes a father's encouragement for the young boy to stay true to himself and find joy in his wings once more.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (10/15/22)
Booklist (+) (11/01/22)
Full Text Reviews:
Booklist - 11/01/2022 *Starred Review* In a delightfully messy bedroom strewn with art supplies, a young boy leaps about in his newly finished monarch butterfly wings, which flow behind him like a cape. Next, he dons a pair of peacock-feather antennae. Metamorphosis complete, he steps out into a verdant world of smudgy wildflowers and green-streaked fields, where he is free to “spin and swirl / and twist and twirl.” This is a particularly gleeful spread, in which Majewski captures snapshots of the boy’s fluttering dance in acrylics that mix fine lines with a childlike aesthetic. His cavorting is unceremoniously interrupted when, “DOINK!” a ball hits him in the head. His cheeks glow red as a group of children appear and begin to tease him. Casting off his wings in anger, the boy hides in his room until his father coaxes him out of his comforter cocoon. Together, they craft a new set of wings, and the boy takes flight once more. Majewski taps into his childhood experiences as a queer child in this ode to following one’s joy. The book subtly undercuts gender norms and acknowledges bullying; however, the boy exudes and is surrounded by so much beauty, including the loving support of his father, that this outshines any shadow cast by the children’s unkindness. A gorgeous story of being true to oneself that will brighten any shelf. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.
Booklist - 11/01/2022 *Starred Review* In a delightfully messy bedroom strewn with art supplies, a young boy leaps about in his newly finished monarch butterfly wings, which flow behind him like a cape. Next, he dons a pair of peacock-feather antennae. Metamorphosis complete, he steps out into a verdant world of smudgy wildflowers and green-streaked fields, where he is free to “spin and swirl / and twist and twirl.” This is a particularly gleeful spread, in which Majewski captures snapshots of the boy’s fluttering dance in acrylics that mix fine lines with a childlike aesthetic. His cavorting is unceremoniously interrupted when, “DOINK!” a ball hits him in the head. His cheeks glow red as a group of children appear and begin to tease him. Casting off his wings in anger, the boy hides in his room until his father coaxes him out of his comforter cocoon. Together, they craft a new set of wings, and the boy takes flight once more. Majewski taps into his childhood experiences as a queer child in this ode to following one’s joy. The book subtly undercuts gender norms and acknowledges bullying; however, the boy exudes and is surrounded by so much beauty, including the loving support of his father, that this outshines any shadow cast by the children’s unkindness. A gorgeous story of being true to oneself that will brighten any shelf. - Copyright 2022 Booklist.
