Reviews for Clara Caterpillar

Horn Book
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Clara is a plain cabbage caterpillar who will become a cream-colored butterfly, and the flashily hued Catisha mocks her for it, until Clara rescues Catisha from the beak of a hungry crow by using her plainness as camouflage. The slight tale--sometimes overwhelmed by conspicuous alliteration--is enlivened by Cole's accomplished blend of realism and cartoon charm. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.


Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Ages 4-6. Clara's story begins when her mother lays her egg and flies off calling, "Grow up to be courageous and contented, Clara." And so she does, though it's not always easy. From the day she hatches, Clara is accompanied by a host of other caterpillars, including the disdainful Catisha, who knows that someday she'll turn into a beautiful crimson butterfly. When she does, she attracts the eye of a hungry crow and is almost eaten. Clara, now a humble cabbage butterfly, diverts the crow's attention and then hides, camouflaged among the camellias. Children will enjoy the well-told, if predictable story and Cole's large-scale, child-friendly artwork. Teachers will probably be even more enthusiastic, since this provides a solid story for a butterfly unit as well as a celebration of the letter C (just as Edwards and Cole's 1999 book Worrywarts provided plenty of practice with W). Teachers needing a book for C week will enjoy reading aloud such alliterative passages as, "`That's curious,' complained the crestfallen crow." --Carolyn Phelan


Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Fans of Four Famished Foxes and Fosdyke (1995) and Some Swell Slug (1996) will have fun with this freshly minted fable. Clara is comfortable staying inside her chrysalis, even though Cornelius and a crowd of caterpillars cluster around curious as to why she?s so cautious. Both as caterpillar, and later as a magnificent scarlet butterfly, cruel (and catty) Catisha sneers at drab, cream-colored Clara?until a crow swoops down for a snack. With a distracting flutter, Clara flies to the rescue, camouflaging herself in a camellia until the confused crow decamps. Hailed a hero by Catisha and the other butterflies, Clara declares herself ?completely contented.? In close up color cartoons, Cole follows this courageous cabbage butterfly from egg case to chrysalis (?crushed,? ?creased,? ?crumpled,? ?cranky,? and ?cramped?) then on to adulthood, never straying far from a ?c.? It?s an alliterative adventure that may be set in a garden, but is anything but garden-variety. (Picture book. 6-8)


Publishers Weekly
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The creators of Some Smug Slug here take on metamorphosis. After crimson-colored Catisha scorns Clara for her plain coloring, the heroine's camouflage saves the day. Ages 3-6. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved


Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Pamela Duncan Edwards and Henry Cole, the creators of Some Smug Slug and Four Famished Foxes and Fosdyke, take on metamorphosis with Clara Caterpillar. "Grow up to be courageous and contented, Clara," calls a cream-colored butterfly to the egg she has laid on a cabbage leaf at the story's opening. After "crimson-colored Catisha" scorns Clara for her plain coloring, the heroine's camouflage saves the day. ( May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved


School Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

K-Gr 3-Clara is the plain Jane of the caterpillar set, which is fine with her. However, crimson-colored Catisha thinks that Clara is positively dull. When they become butterflies, Clara is cream-colored, perfect for hiding camouflaged in the camellias. Catisha is brilliant red, and a sitting duck for a hungry crow. Predictably, Clara saves Catisha's life, proving that colorless and clever is better than flashy and frivolous. The text is a lesson in alliteration ("`Catisha is conceited,' comforted Cornelius"). The pictures are an interesting combination of realistically rendered backgrounds and insect bodies with faces drawn in the style of Dr. Seuss. An additional purchase.-Holly Belli, Bergen County Cooperative Library System, West Caldwell, NJ (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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