Why Butterflies Go By On Silent Wings [Hardcover]

Marguerite Davol (Author), Rob Roth (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up

When the world was young, butterflies were so noisy that they did not see the beauty around them--until a great storm transformed and silenced them.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 4-This original folktale describes a wilderness filled with the loud and incessant "hoots and roars, screeches and yowls" of animals. Surprisingly, the noisiest, most annoying sounds come from the drab-colored butterflies, as they flit around bragging about themselves, or rest in a Bingalou tree and argue with one another. They even attack two children who come too close to their roost. During an intense storm, lightning strikes the tree and the insects are thrown into the mud. When they recover, they look around for the very first time and notice the beauty of their surroundings. They also discover that their wings have taken on the colors of a rainbow. This magical transformation jars the butterflies into a reverent silence. The animals enjoy the peace, and the children return to admire the dazzling insects that glide on "silent wings." Although a bit long, the story is well written and the language is evocative. Painted in watercolor and then manipulated in Photoshop, the delicate artwork is filled with vibrant colors. The animals gracefully move across pastel backgrounds, and the brightly hued flowers and lush green leaves are equally eye-catching. Many of the images are placed around the borders of the pages, making room for the big blocks of text. Although the tale may be a bit too quiet for some children, there is a lot to think about here, as the butterflies make their metamorphosis from self-absorbed and unattractive creatures into beautiful beings who have learned to look out instead of in.

Joy Fleishhacker, formerly at School Library Journal

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Orchard (May 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531303225
• ISBN-13: 978-0531303221
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,645,925 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Silence Is Golden, May 14, 2001

By 

"jerbs" (Telford, PA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why Butterflies Go By On Silent Wings (Hardcover)

The bright watercolor illustrations wash through this book as frantic as its loud animals, and only calm down when the animals themselves stop to enjoy the quiet; reflecting the writing style in a visual way. The transition from noisy ignorance to quiet reflection is starkly abrupt; brought on by a horrendous thunderstorm. Perhaps, this transition will be too abrupt for some readers, as it was for me. It also may seem strange to say about a picture book, but there is not enough character development of the two un-named children who appear only briefly to comment on, first, the noise, and then the quiet. This might be a good read-aloud and discussion lead-in to better written creationist stories, like Kipling's "Just-So Stories" or Hughes' "How the Whale Became."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lush and vibrant, April 4, 2003

By 

D. Barth (Cambridge, MA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Why Butterflies Go By On Silent Wings (Hardcover)

What luscious art! What a fresh way to consider one's place in the world, surrounded by such color. My kids used inside voices for at least 2 days after reading this book to them. This is no small feat.

Everyone, look around you!