This is a magical picture book from what you could call the dream team of Jeanne Willis (who writes the words) and Tony Ross (who creates the illustrations). Caterpillar Dreams celebrates the life of two curly caterpillars who dream of all the things they will do when they become butterflies. Autumn comes, and they settle down to sleep, eager to wake up and have their dream realised. But Nature of course has a different dream, a different plan for them...

Synopsis

Two curly caterpillars dream of all the things they will do when they become butterflies. Autumn comes, and they settle down to sleep, eager to wake up and have their dream realized. But Nature has a different dream, a different plan for them...

Reviews

'A dream team of writer and illustrator!' - The Times

Review of ‘Caterpillar Dreams’ by Books for Keeps [3 stars]

Another successful collaboration between two well-loved children’s authors – Jeanne Willis’ language is simple yet lyrical and Tony Ross matches its impact with his beautiful drawings. It’s a magical combination for a lovely story about two caterpillars who consider themselves sisters and look forward to their time together once they have grown into butterflies: ‘They would wake to the song of the blackbird. And fly through skies of forget-me-not blue. They would sip from buttercups… flit through sunbeams… and bathe in gold dust.’
But on the day when one of them emerges as a butterfly, she finds herself alone with no sign of her sister among the sunbeams. That night she dreams of her sister waking in the night: ‘Soaring through space. Skipping through moonbeams. Bathing in stardust.’ The two meet at dawn and find that one is a butterfly and one a moth, dreaming different dreams, waking to different birdsong, but both beautiful in their own way and both part of nature’s plan: ‘We cannot all be butterflies it seems. The world needs moths just like it needs the moon. That’s what keeps it turning, turning, turning.’
The illustrations on the last couple of pages bring the human connection to the fore: two children walk hand in hand in the field below the butterfly and moth. The last double spread, with beautiful simplicity juxtaposes the threads woven through the story. On the one hand, with the day fully dawned, the butterfly landing on the girl’s hand. On the other, the boy blissfully asleep and the moth flitting by in the night sky visible through his window.

About the Author

Jeanne Willis has had a successful career working in advertising and as an author, writing over eighty picture books, poetry books, television scripts and novels for children. She has won numerous awards including the Red House Children’s Book Award, the Smarties Prize and the Sheffield Children’s Book Award. Her teenage novel Naked Without a Hat was shortlisted for the 2003 Whitbread Children's Book Award and Dumb Creatures was longlisted for the 2005 Carnegie Medal. Her other novels include the Goffins series, Shamanka and Grandad and John and her picture books include Little Big Mouth, Mummy, Do You Love Me? and Never Too Little to Love. She lives in North London. Photo credit: Justine Stoddart More books by this author Author 'Like for Like' recommendation