I Wish I Were a Butterfly by James Howe

Illustrated by Ed Young. 32 pages. Gulliver/Harcourt Brace, 1987.

Sometimes a lack of appreciation for oneself leads to a wish to be someone else. In I Wish I Were a Butterfly, the littlest cricket in the pond wishes he were a butterfly, because a frog told him that he's ugly. He's so sad that he doesn't want to make music like the other crickets. Other insects tell him the kinds of unhelpful things that people often say to one another; for example, that it's no use to wish to be different, and that he shouldn't pay attention to the frog. He finally learns from the Old One, a spider, that there are more ways to see himself, and that he can take on the compassionate point of view of a friend, not the less-thoughtful point of view of a stranger. This story shows children how to choose a kind, caring perspective from which to see themselves.

Ages: 3-8
Cultural Context: non-human