Houdini the Amazing Caterpillar
Kindergarten-Grade 3—Houdini the caterpillar entertains a class of students with his amazing acts, including the vanishing leaf, the high-wire stick crawl, and his skin-shedding growth. With his flair for showmanship, he revels in his audience's appreciation. When new acts show up—a turtle, spider, and plant—and draw his crowds of children away, Houdini spices up his performances to make them even more dramatic. Alas, even this does not bring back the masses. Then one evening, inspired by posters depicting the stages of a caterpillar's life on the classroom wall, he attempts "his most daring act ever." His place in the spotlight is regained as his audience waits in anticipation for two weeks as he holds his pose without food or water and finally escapes his chrysalis and emerges as a butterfly—"Ta-Da!" Pedersen's ink and watercolor cartoons are detailed without being fussy. Houdini's facial expressions demonstrate both the highs and lows of being a performer. Meanwhile, his captivated audience is shown drawing him, wearing homemade caterpillar antennae, imitating his chrysalis stage, and watching Houdini adoringly. The particulars of a caterpillar's life cycle are covered in detail in the author's note. This fun and informative story has a place in classrooms everywhere.—Catherine Callegari, Gay-Kimball Library, Troy, NHCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.