Butterfly Sea – Perfect Picture Book Friday

*

Sometimes I read a book and the echoes of another come immediately to mind. In this case, the new book I’m featuring, Butterfly Sea, begins with the echo and then veers off in another direction, leaving the echo to resonate. Let’s see if you can guess what book I’m reminded of….

If you want to see a butterfly,

or maybe

a sea of butterflies…

Is that enough of a clue? Need more?

dress up

for the occasion.

Borrow Grandma’s camera.

With a glint in your eyes,

skip to the butterfly sea.

But now the book is veering off into its own territory.

If trouble follows you,

embrace it.

Keep watching for a butterfly.

Lean in,

and if, instead,

you meet…

Any guesses on what that “trouble” may be? Instead of being just about the desire to see and photograph butterflies, this book is also about patiently dealing with a younger sibling who doesn’t have the same interest or attention span. One who eagerly (and sometimes loudly) wants to participate no matter the activity.

Did you guess the echo? Mackey’s lyrical setup reminded me immediately of Julie Fogliano’s If You Want to See a Whale. Butterfly Sea may have the same tone and setup, but then it strikes out on its own path, one where the relationship between siblings takes center stage.

There’s also an additional path related to “grandma’s camera.” A few spreads into the story the reader sees a photograph (perhaps taken a year ago) of what appears to be the siblings with their grandmother, nestled in a pouch along with a bag of goldfish. On the opposite page, the older sibling holds the photo, gives the younger one a hug, and is perhaps telling the little one to be quiet so she can take a photo, too. I love that the interpretation of this sequence is left up to the reader.

The older sibling’s search to photograph butterflies feels strongly connected to this photo. Perhaps she wants to take a photo in memory of her grandmother? Or perhaps take a photo to show her grandmother? But the tumultuous skies lead me to believe the former.

Although the story doesn’t feel somber, the overall tone and color palette hold the essence of remembrance (as do photographs). After skipping to the sea in an early spread, the older child’s search for butterflies feels melancholy, at times, as she sits in a slumped posture, alone, except for that pesky little sibling. And while that could just mean she’s frustrated at not finding any butterflies, I get a sense that there’s something deeper at play here.

The little sibling lightens the tone through her escapades, that are mostly revealed in the art with just an ironic “wink” from the narrator. Her older sibling’s obvious love and creative patience is endearing. In the storyline, the narrator is intent on advising where butterflies can be found, and that although butterflies are hard to photograph, other things like snails and caterpillars (“baby butterflies”) are good for practice. The triumphant ending serves as a reminder that those butterflies (and joy) may be found in the future…if not today, then tomorrow. Hope. Yes, there’s always hope.

Couët’s digitally-rendered watercolor illustrations in muted jewel and earth tones pair well with the story’s lyricism. This beautiful book releases on December 15, 2025, so there’s still time to pre-order!

Activities:

Walk in the park, your backyard, or woods, and take pictures of insects you find. If you don’t have a camera (or a smart phone), draw pictures of the insects you find. If you have a smartphone, use the iNaturalist app (download free from the App store) to identify the insects you find. Collect your photos and/or drawings and turn them into a field guide for the park or place you’re exploring.

Write a poem, using words from the story, that reflects the story in some way. You can type or write out all of the story’s words onto a single page and then create a black-out poem; write a haiku that uses very few words from the book; or use as many of the words as you like from the book to write a free verse poem (no rules, just create a visual picture for your reader).

Watch this KLT Wild YouTube video that shares some surprising facts about butterflies.

Title: Butterfly Sea

Author: Cynthia Mackey

Illustrator: Marie-Laure Couët

Publisher: Tielmour Press, 2025

Ages: Pre-K through elementary school

Themes: butterflies, patience, siblings

For more perfect picture book recommendations, please visit Susanna Hill’s website.