By Sarah Reschly
How do you pique a child’s interest in the world around them? In the case of Brylee’s Big Adventure: One Little Caterpillar’s Incredible Journey, authored by Iowa Master Gardener Lisa Hinzeman Howard, it starts with just a peek.
Henry, a curious boy with a magnifying glass in hand, visits his neighbor, Pat, and together they explore her garden and discover a butterfly egg on a parsley leaf. Over his next few visits, Henry finds the newly hatched caterpillar, watches it grow, sees its chrysalis and, finally, meets the black swallowtail butterfly that emerges.
Along the way, Pat explains to Henry about host plants, caterpillar poop and how butterflies eat, creating a sweet, funny and relatable story that introduces young readers to the remarkable lifecycle of butterflies observable in our backyards.
Richly illustrated by artist Becky Albertson and graphic designer Dixie Albertson, Brylee’s Big Adventure, set for publication Nov 1, threads the needle between entertainment and education, providing the vivid details kids crave with illustrated examples and definitions adjacent to the story. The language is not overly simplified: Hinzman Howard introduces correct terms, along with a pronunciation guide, and uses descriptive words that will challenge young gardeners-in-the-making and grow their vocabularies. The result is a book that’s equal parts bedtime story and conversation starter, encouraging Brylee fans to “peek” their interest in the natural world.
Author of Cheap Tricks Gardening: ‘Cause You Don’t Need to Spend a Fortune for Fabulous (2022), Hinzman Howard is a popular speaker, blogger, and the garden educator behind Midwest Garden Gal, which she founded in 2016. A resident of Cedar Rapids, Hinzman Howard is also a key member of the Linn County Master Gardener Planting for Pollinators Initiative, which earned state honors and national recognition at the 2019 International Master Gardener Conference in Philadelphia. A LCMG since 2011 with more than 20 years of gardening know-how, she holds classes and makes appearances at home & garden shows, conferences, garden clubs and community events across the Midwest and beyond.
Brylee’s Big Adventure is available for purchase on the Midwest Garden Gal website.
