A monarch butterfly makes frequent stops to quench her thirst on her migratory journey southward.

In what is clearly an homage to Eric Carle’s iconic children’s classic The Very Hungry Caterpillar, this charming debut picture book follows a monarch butterfly. She emerges on a green leaf and stretches her orange wings “in the warmth of an autumn sun,” preparing to make her 2,000-mile journey to Mexico. Through the pages that follow, the thirsty butterfly finds the energy she needs by sipping from flowers along the way and from a glass of fruit juice at a farmer’s stall before joining other monarchs as she “soared and surfed the warm air currents south” to reach her destination. The butterfly finds a mate, heads north, and lays her eggs on milkweed leaves. The acknowledgment of the completion of the monarch’s life cycle is soothingly stated: “Her work was done, her energy spent. Away she flew, life would begin anew!” Visual aspects of Grimbeek’s book are in the Carle vein: Large font black text is set against pages bright with painted collage art that is well positioned against white space. A golden sun, green leaves, and individual flowers—lavender, primroses, honeysuckle, a daisy, a pansy, and more—are vividly depicted, reflecting the warmth that infuses the text. The author/illustrator bookends the story with a labeled image showing the anatomy of a monarch and a list of facts about these butterflies.

This visually appealing tale gently relates the colorful life story of a monarch butterfly.

A fetus in utero poetically describes her physical development in this picture book.

From genetic formation (“DNA strands combining…Chromosomes click / into place, / Designing my blueprint”) to her debut as a newborn, a fetus chronicles her experience using descriptive imagery and expressive language. The fetus discusses complex cellular processes that facilitate growth, such as how cells divide, multiply, change shape, connect, and rearrange: “Stitching and knitting, / Carefully connecting me top to bottom.” As the gestation period progresses, a “sacred symphony” occurs when the fetus’s “heart starts ticking.” Soon, physical features form, including a spine and limbs. Blood pumps through veins, and nerves tingle. Brain cells construct “pathways, / Growing future thoughts.” The text is interspersed with sentiments from the narrator to her mother: “Hello Mom, I had the hiccups today. I heard you laugh.”As the fetus becomes bigger, the “senses are awakening.” She can breathe and swallow. With “arms and legs curled up tight, / Pushing and kicking,” she relies on instinct to guide her. Soon, the baby girl faces her beaming mother. Utilizing active, rhythmic language (“Cells swirl and scatter, / Then whirl and settle”), Grimbeek offers educational insights into biological events. The narrator’s explanations here will be most suitable for families experiencing pregnancy. Some of the author’s illustrations feature black-and-white anatomical images reminiscent of ultrasounds and X-rays. Others include realistic portrayals of the fetus’s changing appearance and the newborn in glowing shades of pink, orange, and purple.

A lyrical and informative look at fetal development.

A resourceful bird forms an unusual family in this picture book.

Red, a small woodland bird, dreams about having a family, “but first, he needed a good nest.” Red builds a structure impressive enough to attract a mate, a green bird named Olive, who also wants to start a family. Olive sends Red on a mission to find a few more twigs for their nest. But he doesn’t get far before discovering a baby bunny, a baby raccoon, and a baby bear who have all lost their parents. Red assures the mammals they can live with him and Olive, thinking they’ll need a bigger nest. Grimbeek’s mixed-media cartoon illustrations tell as much of the tale as her spare text, showing the solutions Red devises for the nest size problem until he, Olive, and the babies construct a perfect home. Stories of nontraditional families as inclusive as Red and Olive’s are still a rare find in picture books. The author hits just the right note in sharing Olive’s surprise at Red’s adoptions: “Olive’s eyes grew big, but her heart grew bigger.” The immediate acceptance and love of both birds for the abandoned animals is uplifting, and Grimbeek’s images reveal that Red leaves a note at each location in case the biological parents return. The sweet tale makes the most of the animals’ different sizes and shapes in a way that’s reminiscent of Jan Brett’s The Mitten while telling a completely original story.

A heartwarming, inventive animal tale about making room for unexpected love.