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Children's Fiction Death & Dying

The Rock and the Butterfly

by (author) Kathy Stinson

illustrated by Brooke Kerrigan

Publisher
Orca Book Publishers
Initial publish date
Oct 2024
Category
Death & Dying, Friendship, Butterflies, Moths & Caterpillars
Recommended Age
3 to 5
Recommended Grade
p to k
Recommended Reading age
3 to 5
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781459837003
    Publish Date
    Oct 2024
    List Price
    $21.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781459837027
    Publish Date
    Oct 2024
    List Price
    $27.99

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Description

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.

About the authors

Kathy Stinson is a familiar name in children’s literature. She wrote the award-winning Red is Best and Big or Little?—two of the first picture books for preschoolers in Canada. Both were a huge success and have since achieved international acclaim. Red is Best 25th Anniversary Edition was released in 2006 a newly illustrated Big or Little? was published in 2009. Kathy’s latest book, The Man with the Violin (2013), was greeted with rave reviews, including starred reviews in Kirkus and uill & uire. Illustrated by Duan Petricic, this beautifully evocative picture book tells the true story of world-renowned violinist, Joshua Bell, who conducted an experiment by anonymously playing his priceless violin in the Washington D.C. subway station. Kathy grew up in Toronto. “My love affair with books began as a child,” she says. “I remember regular visits to the library, getting stacks of books to read.” She still has a notebook of stories that she wrote when she was in grade four. She believes that reading a lot is the key to becoming a good writer. In the early 1970s Kathy attended university while teaching elementary school. In 1981, she took a course called “How to write and get published.” The titles she has published in the years since range from picture books to young adult novels, from historical fiction chapter books to short stories in the horror genre. 2008 sees the publication of her first brand-new picture book in sixteen years! Kathy enjoys visiting schools across Canada, and especially talking with fellow writers. In 1987 she traveled to England as part of an exchange of Canadian and British children’s authors. She has helped students across Canada pursue their own creative projects through the Writers in Electronic Residence program, and in many communities has conducted writing workshops for children and for adults. When she’s not busy writing or reading, Kathy is a self-proclaimed jigsaw puzzle addict. Her children now grown, she lives with her partner, editor Peter Carver, in a hamlet not far from Guelph, Ontario.

Kathy Stinson's profile page

BROOKE KERRIGAN est une artiste, graphiste et illustratrice de livres pour enfants. Elle est diplômée du Sheridan College en illustration interprétative et a illustré plus de dix livres pour enfants, dont Fishermen Through and Through, Plan for Pops et The Little Boy Who Lived Down the Drain, qui lui a valu un prix Blue Spruce. On peut aussi voir son travail dans les pages du magazine Chirp. Brooke partage son temps entre l’Ontario et une petite ville des Alpes françaises

 

 

BROOKE KERRIGAN grew up surrounded by books and the love of art. Now she has illustrated more than a dozen books including Fishermen Through & Through, A Plan for Pops and the Blue Spruce Award Honour Books The Little Boy Who Lived Down the Drain and Kiss Me! I’m a Prince.

 

Her fun and whimsical illustrations are created in watercolour, gouache, pencil crayon and collage. Born and raised in Toronto, she now splits her time between Tiny, Ontario and a little town in the French Alps called Chamonix. Visit her at www.brookekerriganillustration.com.

Brooke Kerrigan's profile page

Editorial Reviews

“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

“A lovely story to share with a child when broaching the subject of loss...The illustrations that are created by Brooke Kerrigan are a beautiful complement to Kathy Stinson’s words. Highly recommended.”

CM: Canadian Review of Materials

“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

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