CarrieAnne’s colorful debut children’s picture book introduces kids to different types of butterflies and the fascinating worlds through which they fly. With fun rhyming throughout, CarrieAnn establishes the kind of repeating, question-response structure that’s ideal for storytime with younger readers. One page will depict a “butterfly, butterfly in the sky,” with text inquiring what it sees; the next page offers a rhyming answer (“eight orange flowers and a rubber ducky”) illustrated by the author’s inviting and detailed watercolor paintings. To further engage children’s attention, the answer rhymes count upwards, one to ten, starting with a butterfly seeing “one red flower and a bumblebee” and increasing eventually to “ten blue flowers as happy as can be.” The butterflies, true to their nature, flit and flow across the page layouts.

Seamlessly combining charming yet realistic artwork, cute rhymes, and educational content, CarrieAnne has created a picture book that kids will want to read over and over. The book stays fresh despite its repeating structure: It asks the same question ten times, but to a succession of new, vividly rendered butterflies, who each offer an answer that’s alive with color and surprises. The final pages identify each of the butterflies (black swallowtail, great spangled fritillary) and flowers (purple snowpea, blue forget-me-not) depicted in the book, plus offer colorful count-along pages in which butterflies appear in rows correlating with the pages they upon which they first appeared.

As a children’s librarian, CarrieAnne understands how to grab and hold children’s attention at reading time. This work of love smartly offers repeating but not boring rhymes, eye-catching watercolors, a variety of vibrant natural subjects, and the additional fun of counting. A climactic illustration depicting a child isn’t as appealing or lively as the book’s abundant butterflies and flowers, but the author/illustrator’s passion for reading and the outdoors comes through splendidly.

Takeaway: Young readers will adore learning about butterflies and counting with this watercolor picture book.

Great for fans of: Dianna Hutts Aston’s A Butterfly is Patient, Jerry Pallotta’s Butterfly Colors and Counting, Susan R. Stoltz’s Let’s Count Butterflies.

Production grades
Cover: A
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: A
Editing: A
Marketing copy: A