The Rock and the Butterfly

  • Illustrated By: Brooke Kerrigan
  • Pages:32
  • Publisher:Orca Book Publishers
  • Themes:friendship, grief, supporting each other, losing a loved one, death
  •  
  • Available:10/15/2024
  • Lexile:600L
  • Fountas & Pinnell Text Level Gradient:R
Hardcover
9781459837003
$21.95
EPUB
9781459837027
$17.99

The rock was always there...until, one day, it wasn't.

The rock and the butterfly are a perfect fit. The butterfly takes shelter on the steady rock after hours of flittering and fluttering, and the rock loves to hear of the butterfly's adventures after a long day of sitting in one spot. Then one day the rock isn't where it has always been—and the butterfly is alone. It can't find a comfortable place to rest, and it eventually collapses on the ground. When it wakes, the butterfly realizes that it is lying in the exact spot where the rock used to be, and it takes comfort in all that its beloved friend left behind.

“Kerrigan’s artwork complements Stinson’s simple, lyrical text, depicting the rock’s solidity while adding motion lines around the butterfly’s vibrant wings. This gentle metaphor for loss will soothe children grappling with grief. It’s a poetic, attractive package that will lull youngsters at bedtime but might also stimulate conversation. A moving, thoughtful meditation on life and loss.”

– Kirkus Reviews

“Staggeringly impactful. It may be a story about a rock and a butterfly, but it goes beyond that simple premise, and speaks to the connection that bolsters life...I hope that parents and teachers will grab [this book] for meaningful discussions. I believe that it's a story that encompasses much depth that would make it a basis for numerous lessons, from those about loss and grief to visual literacy.”

– CanLit for Little Canadians