Becoming Charley - by Kelly Dipucchio Hardcover

About the Book

Unlike all the other caterpillars Charley sometimes wonders what it would be like to be a fawn or a waterfall, so when the day comes to form her chrysalis, Charley must decide who she will become.

Book Synopsis

A New York Times bestselling author and an award-winning illustrator team up for a striking, modern-day take on The Very Hungry Caterpillar that celebrates staying true to oneself.

Everyone is trying to teach Charley the right way to become a butterfly: Eat your milkweed! Think black! Think orange!

But Charley's busy admiring the many beautiful things in the world. Like the swaying trees, and the tall mountains, and the turquoise sea. . . . Is there really a "right" way for Charley to become a butterfly?

Young readers will see themselves in Charley--a little caterpillar with an emerging identity--in this dazzling picture book that beautifully explores the nature of self-love.

Review Quotes

★ "Convention is upended in this striking tale of individuality and change." --Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"The underlying message, that it is okay to stray from what is expected, will delight young and old readers alike." --School Library Journal

"Uniquely colorful....As children decide who they are going to be, this story invites them to recognize that there may be more than one path to follow." --Booklist

"Playful and gentle." --The Bulletin

About the Author

Kelly DiPucchio is the award-winning author of several children's books, including the New York Times bestseller Grace for President and Gaston, which the Wall Street Journal called a "wonderfully colorful picture book." Kelly has been a featured author/speaker at numerous schools, public libraries, and universities, and lives in southeastern Michigan with her family.

Loveis Wise is an illustrator and designer from Washington, DC. They are the illustrator of Ablaze with Color: A Story of Painter Alma Thomas, which received three starred reviews, as well as The People Remember, which received five starred reviews and was hailed as "powerful" by the New York Times. Loveis's work can be found in the New Yorker, Google, Adobe, and the New York Times. They reside in Los Angeles.