The Lamb and the Butterfly

by Arnold Sundgaard, Eric Carle (Illustrator)

A lamb and a butterfly have a conversation during which the habits and behavioral traits of each creature are revealed. The lamb is bound to the earth and closely tied to its mother's side; the butterfly, on the other hand, is free of the pull of the earth and of maternal bonds. As the story progresses, comparisons can be made by readers about the way of life that each creature is destined to follow.

Genres: Picture Books, Animals, Childrens, Friendship, Fiction, Family, Kids

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Rod Brown]

A lamb invites a butterfly to stay with her and her mother in their meadow. The butterfly declines.

Excuse me as I undergo a dramatic bout of yawning . . .

[Madeline Clements]

This book shows that people are better together than alone. It's a story of two unexpected friends. Having someone to lean on is better than going through life alone

[Jeffrey]

"The Lamb and the Butterfly", by Eric Carle is a great children's book that tackles issues of difference and understanding. It is about a young independent butterfly, and a very nurtured lamb. The collage style pictures that accompany the text are perfectly matched and depict the story line. The butterfly who migrates amazing distances, often alone, meets a young lamb in a field. The lamb, who is taken care of and stays close to her mother has a number of questions about the butterflies independence and life. The lamb does not seem to grasp how the butterfly is to survive without a mother. Through questioning and conversation an understanding is met between the two very different creatures. A powerful message is conveyed through this story that children can relate to in their lives, making this an excellent book to use within classrooms. It is a great way to introduce conversations/dialogue surrounding the diversity that students bring to each classroom they step into. A very enjoyable book.

[Tima]

Little lamb is excited to meet a butterfly in the middle of his meadow one day. He has so many questions to ask the butterfly about where he is from and why he flutters. But the little lamb has a hard time understanding the free spirited butterfly. Why can’t the butterfly be just like him and stay in the meadow? The lamb begs the butterfly to never leave, but the butterfly doesn’t listen. Finally after being caught in a storm together the little lamb begins to understand why the butterfly can’t stay with him. Parents will love the message about accepting others for who they are and understanding that everyone is different or might have different needs. The story flows well and is somewhat lyrical. Bright, cheerful illustrations help tell the story. Children will love the bold brush strokes and large images. Both of my children enjoyed this book and commented on the story and illustrations.

I received this book free of charge from Children's Lit in exchange for my honest review.

[Kristen]

I picked this up at the library yesterday because I love Eric Carl books. The story however, was a little strange. The moral is that animals have different habitats, but it was just kind of drawn out and then ended "The lamb never asked a butterfly to join a herd of sheep again". It was almost a depressing end, even though it was just trying to teach that the butterfly has to fly south while the lamb can stay where it is cold. I normally enjoy repetition in stories also - like the lamb running after the butterfly multiple times...but it repeated just a little too long. I did enjoy the "a zig and a zag and a ziggity-zag" parts.

I did love the pictures also - I always love the illustrations in Eric Carl books. But I'm not sure this specific story needs to be in our kids library.

[Diana Flores]

Love Eric Carle's art. A good book for a snuggly, lap read.

Reviewing books for a butterfly storytime at the library. Too wordy for storytime with active 2s & 3s.

[Ashley Lambert-Maberly]

Not sure about this one. The illustrations were pleasant, but the story didn't particularly go anywhere, and there seemed to be an implied message that I'm not sure I agreed with, or perhaps I do, but it wasn't handled in such a way that I got what they were selling.

Because children pick up ideas from books very easily—they're more likely to experience things first by reading about them then doing them—I think we need to be especially conscious of those earliest books. Here, the lamb reaches out to the butterfly, and the butterfly pretty much shoots down the lamb. The author may have been aiming for "people are different and don't assume everyone's family, behaviour, likes, etc. are the same as yours," but that didn't really come through. Then it's all upended because circumstances prove the lamb temporarily right, but eventually the butterfly wins the argument and the lamb resolves not to engage in the future ... and that doesn't seem quite right. The conclusion should be "the lamb learned a lot about butterflies and resolved to reach out to more of the meadow's creatures" or some such thing, IMO.

(Note: I'm a writer, so I suffer when I offer fewer than five stars. But these aren't ratings of quality, they're a subjective account of how much I liked the book: 5* = an unalloyed pleasure from start to finish, 4* = really enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = disappointing, and 1* = hated it.)

[Tara Strosnider]

One day, a Lamb and a Butterfly meet in a meadow. The Lamb, cautious and dependent upon her mother, is curious about the Butterfly's independent way of life. Meanwhile, the free-spirited Butterfly doesn't understand the sense of security that the Lamb needs from her mother.

When an unexpected storm injures the Butterfly, the Lamb and her mother care for her, nursing her back to health. Once she's better, the Butterfly must resume her journey, flying away from the meadow. As the Lamb and the Butterfly try to understand each other's perspective, we learn an important lesson about recognizing and respecting differences between ourselves and others.


This is perfect for a butterfly themed story time

[Lynn]

Arnold Sundgaard's story is about a lamb who makes friends with a beautiful butterfly. The butterfly tries to leave in the summer but is forced to stay with the lamb during a rainstorm. Later it must fly off to migrate. The story isn't the greatest but of course, the Eric Carle drawings are the best! The pictures are what drew me to choose this book.

[Diane]

A lamb sees a butterfly and follows him asking “Where is your mother?” The butterfly says they are separated. The lamb does not understand and continues to ask questions. The freedom of the butterfly puzzles the lamb. Even after the butterfly meets with hardship and needs help from others, when the problems are over, the butterfly chooses independence.

[Anthony]

A Lamb questions a free spirited Butterfly about his lifestyle. The Butterfly answers the Lamb's questions while flying back and forth over the meadow. The Lamb is surprised by the responses from the Butterfly. This story shows the protected, dependent and shielded life of the Lamb vs the carefree, independent, and self survival life of the butterfly.

[Jennifer]

Perfect for a butterfly themed story time, not too long, not too short. It hits on family and friendship very lightly, but also covers the butterfly's need to migrate south for the winter. Great rhyming and (of course, it's Eric Carle) beautiful illustrations.

[Karla]

It was a bit long
but made for a good winding down story

Kids liked it

I loved the message- dont ask a butterfly to join the flock- individuality is not a bad thing because we're all different

recommended for EC - preschool classroom library book recommendation

[Peacegal]

Featuring Carle's instantly recognizable style, this story profiles two different ways of looking at life--the traveler and the homebody. Sometimes we both need to try out each other's way of looking at the world.

[Natalie]

A great book celebrating differences. A discovery of life and the wonderful action of questioning to understand differences. A beautiful new friendship with a nice surprise at the end.

Beautiful artwork as always from Carle. Well written to appeal to children. A favorite of my girls.

[Sean Harding]

Unlikely friendship of a lamb and butterfly is the crux of this story along with the underlying notion of you can't make someone else in your own image let them be wh they are.
Well told, with great illustrations by Eric Carle.
Eric Carle #27

[Mariya Dawson]

Lesson to be learned: The lamb asks lots of questions and likes to learn about the butterfly but is safest with his mother.
Colors & themes used: Unique art style, lots of color, cute and meaningful story.

[Melissa Namba]

A cute story about a lamb who befriends an butterfly and expects the butterfly to do everything he can. When the butterfly is injured in the rain storm, the lambs mother explains that the butterfly has to live a different life.

[Jessica Pinnick]

This a great family book and the pictures are amazing. The kids will love the first part of each page

[Little Champs]

2594 (4)

[Jude]

A lesson on diversity, I suppose?

I'm #TeamLamb. I think butterflies are crazy for leaving their mothers.

[Sarah]

A bittersweet tale that illustrates how every creature has a purpose and place in the world.

[Britanny]

I know there’s a deeper meaning behind this

[Nancy]

A great book and a great author that teachers can use to teach insects, collage art, and painting.

[Steley]

Too boring to convey any real meaning to people.

[Kelly]

Cute, charming story.

[Danielle Matlin]

A strange little children’s book! Picked it up for Eric Carle’s illustrations.

[Drew Graham]

Lambs and butterflies are very different. But which way of living is better?

This book was kind of odd but not really annoying or anything (how's that for a glowing review??). The illustrations definitely had the Eric Carle stamp and in the end the message was okay.

[Faith Bart]

Another beautiful illustrated book by Eric Carle

[Kelly]

A story about how different some animals are.
Lovely illustrations by Eric Carle.