Our woolly bear

PreS-Gr 2--An autumn guest arrives at the seaside home of Edie and Lou, blue-eyed sisters with pale skin and dark hair. The sisters narrate how they discovered their visitor, a fuzzy black and orange caterpillar, meandering the leafy greens of their vegetable garden. They eagerly offer the critter pine needles and pebbles for nesting, thyme leaves for nibbling, and comforting songs. Edie and Lou, with their encouraging parents, research the caterpillar, to which the narrators assign the pronouns "she" and "her," and which will become an Isabella Tiger Moth by spring. Woolly Bear joins the family's peaceful, homey life of simple routines, which connect them with nature, their community, and one another. They savor the extraordinary in the completely ordinary until the end of fall, and the caterpillar disappears for the winter. In the spring, leaving puddles of cereal milk and child trinkets at the breakfast table, the family plants a sapling in their yard near the sea. Meanwhile, an Isabella Tiger Moth lingers on the window of their perfectly imperfect home unnoticed, watching the family from afar. Arthur's debut picture book is gentle, cherishing quiet comforts, and honestly depicts a folksy, close-knit family living an unhurried life. Illustrations combine eclectic, contemporary textile patterns with traditional, earthy, warm colors: dusty goldenrod, olive green, and burnt sienna. The illustrations hum with a feeling of peace and contentment, whispering reminders of the artwork of Patricia Polacco. For curious minds, pair this picture book with nonfiction texts to delve into the metamorphosis of caterpillars. VERDICT A lovely demonstration of slow living, this mellow story inspires readers to relish ordinary, delicate wonders.--Emily Brush

A brightly colored caterpillar is discovered and adopted by two siblings likewise clad in woolly coats. After carefully setting their fuzzy find in a cozy nesting spot of pine needles and pebbles, Lou and Edie race home. Reading books and researching on the computer, they learn that the hatchling will overwinter beneath a rock or a log and in spring will wondrously become "an Isabella Tiger Moth with wings of gold." Meanwhile, as autumn passes into winter, the frizzy-haired siblings snuggle under cozy quilts at home and spot their friend (or perhaps others like it) outside on walks through their woodsy neighborhood. Arthur portrays her black and gold caterpillar(s) with large eyes for an extra measure of visual appeal and depicts the young protagonists in comfy domestic settings when they haven't bundled up to ramble beneath cloudy skies through chilly but idyllic meadows or down to a beach awash in autumnal light. Residents and visitors who are diverse in skin tone gather at a farmers market in one image. The eye-catching illustrations and the whole tone of the briefly told episode will leave readers feeling snugly wrapped up. And in a final scene, where dark and snowy days of winter give way to spring, a golden-winged moth perches in the foreground as the light-skinned human family gathers to plant a tree on the lawn beyond. Quiet celebrations of connections with nature and the passage of time. (Picture book. 6-8) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.