Today BookBairn and I had a wonderful morning out (whilst The Wee Page Turner was at nursery) at our local Botanic Gardens which have an ...

Chasing Butterflies

Friday, June 15, 2018 BookBairn 2 Comments


Today BookBairn and I had a wonderful morning out (whilst The Wee Page Turner was at nursery) at our local Botanic Gardens which have an annual butterfly house. We have been several times over the years now (here's our post from two years ago!) but it's such a wonderful experience that I hope that we can enjoy for many years to come.

BookBairn carefully wandered around, her eyes darting all over spotting butterflies of all colours and sizes from ceiling to floor (hence the careful wandering) and she could be heard gasping in glee "look mummy look!" The ladies who look after the butterflies were obviously charmed and they took the time to show her where some of the butterflies had laid their tiny eggs and then to the caterpillar terrariums to show her caterpillars as tiny as her eyelashes and as big as her forearm. She was absolutely entranced. As was I. Butterflies are truly magical and I felt like a child as I gazed in wonder myself and felt a thrill of joy as they landed gently on my arm. BookBairn was particularly attractive to the large blue morphos which kept landing on her head and due to their flapping and large size she was a bit distressed by this. But we didn't let that dampen the experience. If you have a chance to visit a butterfly house near you I highly recommend it!


We also took a story to read along with us! Obviously. You should know us well by now.


'Chasing Butterflies' by Zoe Sadler is a whimsical story about a little girl, Nova, who is determined to catch a butterfly. But no matter how high she climbs, the butterflies fly higher. When she zips and swoops the butterflies are faster. When she thinks she's a step ahead, the butterflies outsmart her. Until a stroke of luck, or an accidental trip, she catches a butterfly in her net and places it gently in a jar. But as she gazes upon the butterfly trapped she comes to realise that the butterfly is a free spirit just like her and sets it free. But there's a cheeky hint that Nova hasn't truly changed her ways on the final page. The illustrations of the butterflies are whimsical and magical and the Nova brought to life is a feisty long-legged girl with a sassy sense of style. A lovely story about determination, being a free spirit and appreciating the creatures around us.

You can see a butterfly in this photo if you look hard enough!

I love it when we can bring the magic of stories to life and I really enjoyed reading this one with BookBairn whilst we were actually at the butterfly house. It's something I want to do more often. Also I feel like we don't have enough butterfly stories so any recommendations for more good ones would be much welcomed.

Happy reading,
Mummy and BookBairn xx

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DISCLAIMER This book was sent to us by the author free for review purposes. Words and opinions are as always our own.

2 comments:

  1. I was supposed to be on that trip but someone dislocated a shoulder and it was cancelled and rearranged without me. #jealouspapa
    However, I was there for BookBairn’s previous visit and it was truly magical, if more than a little tropical. “Chasing Butterflies” sounds like the perfect book for the trip.

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    1. Sorry! I'd rather we had avoided the hospital and got to the butterflies! It didn't feel as hot this time - but we were prepared with layers to remove!

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