Hello, friends! Our book today is Already A Butterfly: A Meditation Story, written by Julia Alvarez and illustrated by Raúl Colón, a magical tale of finding inner peace.

Mari is a very busy butterfly. Each day, she rises with the sun and spends every waking moment in motion. There are flowers to pollinate, nectars to gather, exercises to practice, to-do lists to consult, and the future to worry about. Yet even with all that work and worry, she still doesn’t feel like a real butterfly; she longs for the time she spent in her chrysalis, when she was warm and safe and had only her instincts to guide her. One day, she meets an unusual new friend: a flower bud named “Bud” who has embraced their transitional stage of life. Mari wonders how she may do the same, and Bud encourages her to quiet her mind, deepen her breaths, and find an inner safe place once more.

Truly unique. While most children’s books about meditation are more instructional, this title introduces the concepts of mindfulness and meditation through an original parable. Mari’s busy life will certainly strike a chord with older readers, and especially with adults, who will understand how quickly overwhelmed one can feel trying to get everything done in a day, and how one can often long for a quiet and safe place to decompress. And the resolution to Mari’s story is equally satisfying, as a few moments of meditation allow her to appreciate the beauty and serenity of the world around her long enough to untangle her mind and find her confidence. The artwork is similarly unique, and certainly filled with the ecstatic colors that a story of flowers and butterflies would want for. And while, purely personally, I was a little creeped out by the human/butterfly hybrids, the image of a brown-skinned girl in twists and wearing a golden crown as a beautiful butterfly will most certainly resonate with young readers of color. The length is best for slightly older bookworms, and JJ enjoyed this peaceful tale. A one-of-a-kind fable, and it’s Baby Bookworm approved.

(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)