Papilio

Starred review from December 16, 2024
Three friends and creators depict the three stages of a black swallowtail’s life—caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly—in this playful, punny collaboration. Clanton (the Narwhal and Jelly series), working in mixed media, introduces protagonist Papilio (Papilio polyxenes) as a yellow egg who hatches into a wide eyed—and, yes, mighty hungry—green caterpillar. Papilio soon tumbles off a leaf into an overwhelming world where a friendly mouse helps her devour a red, ripe strawberry. In the book’s second section, Caldecott Honoree Tabor portrays the chrysalis stage using pencil, colored pencil, and watercolor. With Papilio now turned into “goo” in a green pod (“You can’t become a butterfly without first becoming caterpillar soup”), two hapless robins eye the shell before the mouse again intervenes. Finally, Chou Musser (the Ploof series, with Clanton) presents Papilio’s debut as a butterfly facing new challenges: flying is difficult, and predators lurk. But she finally takes flight and, in a sweet turnabout, lends a hand to the mouse. With a light narrative and visual touch, the creators’ sections are just different enough to convey a sense of growth, optimism, and change. Facts and a creators’ note conclude. Ages 3–7.