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"When a caterpillar is called "beautiful" one day, he wonders, what could that mean? No one has the same answer. A bear declares that honeycomb is beautiful, the squirrels find dry leaves are beautiful, and a mole loves his beautiful burrow. All the while, the blackbird disagrees with each answer! Will the caterpillar ever find out what beautiful means?"--
About the author
Antonella Capetti is a beloved picture book author and longtime primary school teacher in Italy.
Melissa Castrillón studied illustration and children’s book illustration at the Cambridge School of Art and has illustrated many acclaimed picture books, including The Balcony, If I Had a Little Dream, and Yellow Kayak. A freelance illustrator, she lives in Cambridge, England.
Summary
“[Castrillón’s] wild drawings carry a decorative impulse to unexpected heights.”—New York Times
A stunningly illustrated picture book about a curious caterpillar searching for the true meaning of the word “beautiful.” But is there one true meaning—or many?
A caterpillar lives a simple life on his leaf until one day, an UnKnown Thing picks him up and calls him beautiful. A question forms in the caterpillar’s mind: “What is beautiful?”
So begins a quest to discover the true meaning of the word beautiful. Much to the caterpillar’s surprise, each animal in the forest has their own unique definition:
A bear declares that honeycomb is beautiful!
The squirrels say leaves are beautiful!
A mole says his burrow is beautiful!
What’s a caterpillar to do?
How Beautiful offers kids an immersive, memorable experience. Elaborate and vivid illustrations by Melissa Castrillón, author of Yellow Kayak and If I Had a Little Dream, combine with a sweet, central message:
- Beauty is as diverse as we are.
- “Beautiful” means something different to everyone, and that’s okay!
- The beauty of the natural world is worth celebrating!
Foreword
- Print galley mailing
- Submission to all major trade journals
- Digital galley promoted on Edelweiss
- Promoted at ALA, Children’s Institute, and other trade shows
- Library promotion
- International reviews
- Social media campaign and influencer outreach
Additional text
“[Castrillón’s] wild drawings carry a decorative impulse to unexpected heights. … Each page turn reveals a new way of deploying hallucinogenic wonder across a two-page spread. This, too, is a definition of beautiful.”
—New York Times
“This stunningly illustrated picture book … shows the wonder in tiny, overlooked things.”
—Booklist STARRED Review
“Beauty's in the eye of the beholder in this unique tale ... Decorative illustrations... offer a striking example.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Gorgeous ...filled with lush, dramatic, and eye-catching illustrations …. would work well as a read-aloud due to the large size [and] also be an excellent choice for bedtime reading. The cover ... will encourage students to pull it off the shelf to enjoy.”
—School Library Connection
