Demi and her grandfather, Pappy, experience the enchanting world of a butterfly’s life cycle. Then something happens, and Demi experiences self-doubt! Will she trust in her abilities and persevere like a butterfly? Read Pappy’s Butterfly to find out!
Not only is the story based on real people and settings, but as a teacher, I also wanted it to serve as a mentor text for perseverance, figurative language, and the butterfly life cycle.
Setting: a small town outside of Pittsburgh, PA, on the Monongahela River.
Butterflies are known for their resilience and purpose. When confronted with self-doubt and heartache, Demi has some decisions to make. Will she learn the true meaning of perseverance? Will she overcome her fears and embrace life’s challenges with positivity and hope?
Pappy’s Butterfly is bursting with fun, creative word choices and expressive language! Just like I teach students to use “million-dollar words” in my ROCKSTAR WRITERS® curriculum, I wanted to bring that same philosophy to my own writing. Throughout the story, carefully chosen words help young readers visualize the action, experience the emotions, and see how powerful word choice can bring a story to life!
Examples of FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Simile: Persevere like a butterfly!
Onomatopoeia: Just then, the butterfly flew off with a CLICK, CLICK, CLICK!
Idiom: Butterflies filled Demi’s stomach.
Alliteration: Demi was brainstorming ideas in her bright blue journal. SCRATCH, SCRIBBLE, SCRITCH!
There are many words we can learn from the Butterfly Life Cycle!
transform: make a dramatic change
larva: the active, immature form of an insect; caterpillar
pupa: an insect in its inactive immature form between the larva and adult, e.g., chrysalis
hatch: open and produce a young animal
nourishing: containing substances necessary for growth
cocoon: a hard, protective outer shell
emerge: to come forth into view
unfurl: spread out
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