A Picture Book a Day for a Year: Day 140

Dynamic Duo: Book 2

Picture Book: Waiting for Wings

Author & Illustrator: Lois Ehlert

Summary: In clever verse and bold shapes, Lois Ehlert depicts the entire life cycle of 4 different kinds of butterflies. Beginning as tiny eggs hidden among particular plants, these 4 creatures change form into caterpillars, build their cocoons, and become butterflies ready to lay eggs.

Hanna’s Comments: Like the PBT Dynamic Duo offering yesterday by this same author/illustrator, this picture book offers scientific concepts in an appealing context. In addition, you’ll find in the back identifying tips for the 4 butterflies and many flowers that star in this book, general butterfly information, and instructions on planting a butterfly garden. The butterfly has often been used as a metaphor for spiritual transformation. Even young children can begin to see the connections between changes over time in humans and how butterflies evolve. Because they are growing so rapidly and learning new skills, the idea of transformation is not foreign to young children.  

Publisher & Date of Publication: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 2001

Age & Grade Appropriateness: 4 and up, Pre and up

# of Pages: 40

Available in Spanish? Not at present

Formats other than Book: In the video collection: Click, Clack, Moo: Cows that Type and More Amusing Animal Tales, also on Youtube.com, Audible

PBT Category: Post 2K

PBT Topics this Book Connects with: abundance/bounty, awe, beauty, beginnings/morning, body of Christ, change, creation, differences, diversity, eggs/seeds, the environment/nature, flowers/leaves/trees, God’s nature, growing up/growth, holiness, life, resurrection, time/over time, transformation, variety

Scripture Connections: In general, this book connects to any Bible character for which there is great transformation such as Joseph (in Genesis), disciples such as Matthew (in the Gospels), the woman at the well (in John), Saul/Paul (in Acts), and Jesus (in the Easter story). The way in which a caterpillar cocoons and then becomes a butterfly also connects metaphorically to the season of Lent and Easter.

Idea(s) for Application: Use this book and its dynamic duo partner from yesterday to celebrate God’s creative diversity by connecting the butterflies and plants (from yesterday's book) to various people in your faith community. Then have the children color or draw that butterfly/plant and present their depiction to the person.