Butterflies for Kiri [School & Library Binding]

Cathryn Falwell (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Kiri is delighted with a birthday gift she receives: colorful origami papers and a special book of instructions. But when she can't seem to properly make a purple butterfly, she begins to feel frustrated. Things get worse when she thinks she's ruined one of the paintings she's working on. Then she remembers the origami papers. She fashions one into a flower to improve the picture, and soon she's cutting more shapes for it. As she begins to feel more confident with the delicate papers, she tries again, this time easily creating a bright yellow origami butterfly. Illustrated with eye-catching cut-paper collages, this book celebrates one child's determination and creativity.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-A Japanese-American child receives an origami kit for her birthday. The brightly colored papers are "as thin as butterfly wings" and she handles them with care and reverence, spreading them out "like a rainbow." Kiri pores over the diagrams in the instruction book and tries to "Fold crisply!" and "Crease sharply!" The steps become more complicated and when the delicate sheet tears, she cries in frustration. Afraid of ripping another piece, she puts the papers away. As time passes, Kiri enjoys other artistic pursuits, like painting and chalk drawing, but she is still intrigued by the art of origami and continues to practice her folds on notebook paper. When her watercolors run together and make a soggy hole in the center of her picture, she finds another use for the origami papers. She cuts out flower shapes and as she glues them on her painting, "The colors began to dance." Feeling emboldened, she selects a sheet of yellow and successfully folds it into a butterfly. Falwell's cut- and-torn-paper collages are the perfect medium for the story. Kiri's disappointments are realistically captured, as is her creative spirit. Instructions on how to make an origami butterfly are included. Use this title with Virginia Kroll's Pink Paper Swans (Eerdmans, 1994) and Rosemary Wells's Yoko's Paper Cranes (Hyperion, 2001) to introduce this ancient art.
Linda Ludke, London Public Library, Ontario, Canada
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

K-Gr. 2. Colorful and bright, this story of frustration and determination will appeal to children who have experienced both. Young Kiri likes to do art, so when she receives an origami set, she can hardly wait to start folding the thin, beautiful tissue. But she tears the tissue and is afraid she might ruin more. She works on other art projects, all the while practicing making an origami on regular paper. One day she tries to paint a spring scene, but she makes a mistake that she thinks has ruined her picture. Then she has an idea. Using the origami paper, she creates a flower that she glues to her picture, adds more flowers, and finally gets up the courage to make the butterfly she has been practicing. The cut-and-torn paper collages are just the right medium for this story, and Falwell uses her papers to good effect--sometimes very simply, sometimes in elaborate ways--to capture both the enthusiasm of the child and the enthusiasm apparent in Kiri's art. A final page offers instructions for making an origami butterfly; as with Kiri, it may take children a while to master the project, but they should enjoy practicing. Ilene Cooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Lee & Low Books; 1 edition (March 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584301007
• ISBN-13: 978-1584301004
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 9.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,857,103 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful book with a touching story, April 22, 2003

By 

Hanna (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Butterflies for Kiri (School & Library Binding)

My children and I were delighted to find this new book by one of our favorite author illustrators. Kiri struggles with learning a new skill the same way my little perfectionist 7-yr-old daughter does. The way Kiri explores her own creative expression while continuing to patiently practice the folding of the origami is really beautiful. When both of these parts come together at the end of the story, Kiri's imagination dances free. My daughter found a kindred spirit in Kiri. The illustrations are gorgeous. My younger children also enjoyed this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A charming, full-color picture book, May 23, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Butterflies for Kiri (School & Library Binding)

Butterflies For Kiri by author/illustrator Cathryn Falwell is the story of Kiri, a young girl who is struggling to learn the art of origami, paper folding to craft a beautiful butterfly from a square sheet of colored paper. Her first tries tear the paper, yet with inspiration, determination and perseverance, Kiri is able to achieve her goal. Instructions for young people to fold their own butterflies are included in this charming, full-color picture book.

5.0 out of 5 stars A great little book, January 12, 2011

By 

smartie (Pasadena, California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Butterflies for Kiri (Paperback)

My 3 year old loves this book! It's probably a bit beyond her, but is very fun. I'm looking forward to her being able to do the oragami in a couple years.