*Review* Our Woolly Bear by Katie Arthur

 

Genre: Children's 4-7 years

Published: March 15, 2024

Pages: 32

A charming and unique ode to natural curiosity and the beauty found in small, fleeting things

One day, Edie and Lou discover a visitor between the beet greens in their garden: a fuzzy orange-and-black caterpillar called a Woolly Bear. The sisters build Woolly Bear a cozy bed of pine needles and pebbles. They pluck tiny thyme leaves for her to munch on. They sing her all the songs they know. Woolly Bear is the last thing they think of at bedtime, and the first thing they think of in the morning. She becomes part of their family.

But when the last leaves of autumn begin to fall, Woolly Bear disappears. After sixteen days without their friend, the sisters are glum. But just like Woolly Bear, they realize they’re ready for new adventures. They spend the winter making memories in the garden and on the beach, and when spring comes, readers will notice that, unbeknownst to the sisters, Woolly Bear has returned―as a gold-winged Isabella Tiger Moth!

Debut author and illustrator Katie Arthur brilliantly captures a child’s wonder and enthusiasm for the natural world with her off-beat, lyrical text and artfully naïve illustration style. This fresh and quirky take on a caterpillar’s familiar journey encourages kids to approach nature with curiosity and kinship.

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley. This is my honest review. 

This was a story about a couple of kids who find a wooly bear caterpillar (did you know there was a caterpillar called a wooly bear, because I didn't). They take it home with them, to an extent, but it ends up going all sorts of places with them until one day it disappears. After it's pupa stage is over, it returns as a moth. 

I'd definitely recommend this book for teaching children about some of the stages of caterpillars and moths, and because it can be educational, I'd even be okay reading it a few times over. I learned that there was a caterpillar called a wooly bear, and while it's not unheard of for me to learn things from children's books, it's not super common. The illustrations were fairly simple and bold, but they definitely fit for the story. 

Overall I give Our Woolly Bear 3.7927 out of 5 stars. - Katie 

Amazon

KATIE ARTHUR is a writer and illustrator who lives with her family on the rocky shores of Northeastern Nova Scotia. Inspired by her curious and creature-loving daughters, she stops to say hello anytime a woolly bear caterpillar crosses her path. She hopes now you will too. This is Katie’s first book.