Goodbye Butterflies: A Story About Overcoming Fear and Making New Friends, by Gerzalle A. Blanks
My review: ★★★★★
This is a really lovely story of a girl who’s nervous about her first day in a new school. She starts the story with butterflies in her stomach. As she meets other kids in her school, she realizes she has something in common with each one. At first I thought her shirt had butterflies on it, but with each new friend, one butterfly comes out and floats around her instead of staying in her stomach. By the end of the book, she has a little cluster of butterflies around her, and a smile on her face.
The book also has some discussion questions at the end to help an adult cement and broaden the lessons from the book. The questions will also help a child relate themself more closely to the story.
The way it talks about her nervousness and her personal connections with other kids will really help children in the same situation relate to her and to the story. I think this is quite a beautiful story, that’s perfect for any kid kindergarten through 6th grade or so who’s moving to a new school, or going through similar life changes. It would also help any child recognize the fear and discomfort a new classmate would be going through, and encourage them to make their classmate feel more comfortable.
