Charlie the Caterpillar
Written by: Dom De Luise
Illustrated by: Christopher Santoro
Recommended for ages 3 – 8.
$8.50 Aladdin Paperbacks

In this charming tale, Charlie the caterpillar learns about the not-so-pleasant nature of some animals. He is a young caterpillar who is looking to make friends but each time he approaches a different set of animals (be they monkeys, rabbits or miniature golf-playing mice), he is told that he is ugly and they do not play with ugly creatures. As you can imagine, Charlie’s feelings are hurt and he decides to be alone. He climbs a tree and before he knows it, he has spun a warm cocoon. In fact, the cocoon is so warm that Charlie falls asleep and doesn’t wake up until the lovely Spring weather arrives. With the spring weather comes an important change in Charlie. He has grown the most beautiful butterfly wings you have ever seen. As Charlie soars above the monkeys, they beg him to play with him simply because he is a “beautiful butterfly”. The rabbits and mice are also anxious to play with Charlie but Charlie is quick to give them a taste of their own medicine. He refuses and flies away from them. As he is soaring high in the sky, he hears Katie the caterpillar crying in the distance. Charlie then passes on his life experiences while simultaneously making a new best friend.

This is a great story to have on hand if or when a child is shunned by their peers for inexcusable reasons.