A tale told in three parts by three friends! Powerhouse creators, Ben Clanton, Corey R. Tabor, and Andy Chou Musser, have come together to create a wholly inventive picture book that is perfect for fans of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Introducing Papilio Polyxenes, the Black Swallowtail Butterfly! She's an adorable and hilarious caterpillar who is ready to join the world and become a butterfly! But growing up is a complicated work in progress, and Papilio encounters some hiccups as she learns to fly, fall, and feed. While avoiding foes and making friends, she transforms from caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly...and most importantly, learns to believe in herself along the way.

Told in three parts and complete with backmatter about butterflies, mega-bestselling author-illustrator Ben Clanton (Narwhal and Jelly), Caldecott Honoree Corey R. Tabor (Mel Fell) and rising star Andy Chou Musser (Ploof) have come together to create an expressive character who exudes all of the emotions that accompany life's big firsts and the experiences that help us to discover our inner strength.

Author: Ben Clanton, Corey R. Tabor, Andy Chou Musser
Binding Type: Hardcover
Publisher: Viking Books for Young Readers
Published: 03/04/2025
Pages: 48
Weight: 0.9lbs
Size: 9.10h x 9.10w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9780593693254


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 12/01/2024
Publishers Weekly 12/16/2024
Bulletin of Ctr for Child Bks 03/01/2025
Booklist 02/01/2025 pg. 86
School Library Journal 03/01/2025 pg. 69
Shelf Awareness 03/02/2025
Horn Book Magazine 07/01/2025 pg. 66
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2025 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Ben Clanton (Caterpillar) is the New York Times bestselling and Eisner Award-winning author and illustrator of the Narwhal and Jelly series. Some of his other titles include It Came in the Mail, Ploof (an interactive new picture book series co-created with Andy Chou Musser), and the Tater Tales books. Ben makes books in Seattle, Washington where he lives with his family (which on occasion includes a few roly-polies and butterflies).

Corey R. Tabor (Chrysalis) is the author/illustrator of Mel Fell, a Caldecott Honor recipient, and the winner of the first Barnes & Noble annual picture book award. He is also the creator of the Fox early reader and picture book series, which has garnered two Geisel Medals (Fox the Tiger and Fox Is Late). He is not new to the practice of venerating insects--his graphic novel series Sir Ladybug (about a ladybug knight who is heroic but shy) debuted last year.

Andy Chou Musser (Butterfly) is the author-illustrator of A Home Under the Stars, his debut picture book, which received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews and a silver medal from the Society of Illustrators of LA. He's co-creator of two new series: Science Explorers (the first book is Search for a Giant Squid) with Amy Seto Forrester, and Ploof with Ben Clanton. Andy lives in Seattle with his partner and two cats, who spend a lot of time together watching butterflies and other critters zooming around the garden.