Adorned with rich and colourful illustrations throughout, this touching tale of two refugee siblings and the younger brother’s attempts to cheer up his sister celebrates the healing power of nature and love.
Longlisted for The Yoto Carnegie Medal for Illustration 2023
A poetic, powerful story about a little brother and a big sister finding a new home and new hope after being rescued from a boat lost in the dark sea.
A little brother and his big sister try their best to settle in a new home, where they have nothing left from before except each other. The little one makes new friends and quickly learns to laugh again but his sister remains haunted by the shadows of their past and hides away in their broken house.
Trying to help his sister, the little one catches a butterfly for her and brings it inside the house. His sister knows that she needs to set the butterfly free ... but that would mean going outside.
In taking the first steps to face her fears and save the butterfly, she also begins the process of saving herself.
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd
ISBN: 9781406397208
Number of pages: 32
Weight: 430 g
Dimensions: 278 x 258 x 9 mm
a triumph of storytelling in words and art. - 'Children's Books About Immigration', The New York Times
Gill Smith’s illustrations for Saving the Butterfly (Walker) by Helen Cooper also lean towards muted grey shades as we see a boy and his older sister, two refugees, rescued from a boat. The boy settles, makes friends, but the girl is haunted by the past and can’t move on until the day her brother brings her a butterfly. As the insect and the girl begin to flourish, the illustrations become as rich and colourful as the butterfly’s wings. A tender tale focusing on the aftermath of conflict, it’s a great companion to Nicola Davies’s The Day War Came (2019). - Observer
with illustrations that find sweetness in sadness, this touching picture book is the resonant story of refugee siblings who have lost everything but each other - The Sunday Times
This is the most beautiful story of loss, fear and hope, tied together with the healing power of nature. - Juno
Featured in ‘Best children’s books of 2022 so far’ - Nicolette Jones, Sunday Times
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