Ten Magic Butterflies

Ten flowers ask a local fairy to help them achieve their dreams of flight; the fairy complies, turning them into butterflies. Actor, author, and math advocate McKellar uses the flowers’ story to touch on concepts of addition, subtraction, and regrouping: “2 butterflies flew as/ 8 flowers looked on./ There were still 10 of them—/ in the sky, on the lawn.” Creating a cast of anthropomorphic flowers isn’t easy, and Bricking goes in a glossy, commercial direction in her images, giving the flowers large doe eyes and expressive leaf “limbs.” Although McKellar’s verse can get herky-jerky or syrupy (“But big and tall,/ or short and small,/ being ourselves/ is best of all”), parents may find this backyard fantasy a useful way to jump-start their children’s interest in math. Ages 4–6. Author’s agent: Laura Nolan, Aevitas Creative Management. Illustrator’s agency: Shannon Associates. (Feb.)