WORM AND BUTTERFLY ARE FRIENDS ALWAYS

A loving bond is tested over distance and time in this gentle follow-up to Worm and Caterpillar Are Friends (2023).

Pink-and-purple Worm and rainbow-hued Butterfly are best friends, and according to Worm, that means they should always stick together. Soon, a chilly breeze blows in the first snowflakes of winter. Worm instinctively knows it’s time to burrow underground, lay an egg, and sleep, but although Worm’s nest is very hospitable, Butterfly must fly to Mexico, where it’s much warmer. Pledging to return, Butterfly flaps south, and Worm retreats to the nest, feeling abandoned. The arrival of Bird—whose BFF has also left—helps Worm realize that Butterfly may be gone, but their friendship will always endure. Their eventual reunion includes a special surprise, a new character hatched while Butterfly was migrating back home. The depth of emotion is evident on the characters’ faces and in their body language: the sad curled-up position struck by Worm while alone, the compassion in Bird’s eyes, and the overwhelming joy in Butterfly’s gestures when Worm refers to them as a family. Windness’ gorgeously saturated colors pop against the whimsical backgrounds—icy snowscapes, buoyant spring landscapes, even the velvety soil burrow. Backmatter briefly describes bird and butterfly migration, the diet of various bird species, and worm estivation.

A heartwarming story of found family that readers will flock to again and again.