SuitabookElmer and butterfly
David McKee
- Reading
- Pause after the butterfly makes her promise and invite predictions. After reading, compare them with what happens; the ending and the way the promise is fulfilled remain unclear here.
- Themes
- Help and reciprocity: Elmer frees a trapped butterfly, who promises to help him in return; the story poses the question of how she could help an elephant. The set-up invites consideration of help across differences in size, but the eventual outcome and the book’s evaluative emphasis are not established.
- Worth knowing
- The butterfly is trapped beneath a fallen branch. This rescue situation may be worth noticing with a child who finds a character’s predicament tense.