ARABELLA MILLER’S TINY CATERPILLAR

Expanding a familiar preschool finger rhyme, Jarrett delivers an appealing (and singable) confection capped with a double spread of facts about the life cycle of the butterfly. By leading with two new verses, before inserting the well-known one, the author signals to children and caregivers that something fresh and new is in store. Carrot-haired Arabella, after the inevitable admonishment from mother, builds a shoe-box home for the caterpillar, feeds it (“Curly cabbage, crisp and crunchy, / frizzy parsley, fresh and munchy”) and observes its changes, from multiple skin-sheddings, to chrysalis-building and metamorphosis. Jarrett’s airy pencil-and-paper collages utilize variable perspective, a chiefly pastel palette and ample white ground to carry the simple text. Cleverly, saturated primary hues link the butterfly’s markings with Arabella’s bright hat and shirt. Pleasing and useful, for storytimes as well as one-on-one sharing. (Picture book. 3-7)