Glasswings: A Butterfly's Story

PreS-Gr 3—In a lovely meshing of science and story, Kleven highlights a lesser-known species of butterfly and introduces concepts about insects and habitats. Claire is a Glasswing butterfly, a species with transparent wings found in Central and South America. One day the wind sweeps her away from the rain forest where she lives with her family, and she ends up in "a city of concrete and corners." She befriends a pigeon, a ladybug, and an ant, and together they turn a few scraggly flowers growing in a vacant lot into a beautiful garden, all by doing what each one does best: carrying pollen from plant to plant, scattering seeds, keeping flowers free from pests, and stirring up the soil. The garden becomes such a riot of color that Claire's butterfly family finds her easily when they come to the city in search of her. Kleven's trademark collages burst with color and are brimming with details that make readers want to walk right into the pictures. This emotionally satisfying story will be equally at home in storytime or science class.—Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD