The Unbeautiful Butterfly | Dedicated Review

Book Review of The Unbeautiful Butterfly
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The Children’s Book Review

What to Expect: SEL, Self-discovery, helping others, inner beauty.

In this picture book, the timeless parable of the caterpillar’s transformation into a butterfly becomes the focus for a story about perseverance, self-discovery, and helping others.

When the little caterpillar catches sight of her reflection in a puddle, she is sad to discover that she is not at all beautiful. Still, there’s hope for her—the other butterflies explain to her that if she wants to be as beautiful as them after she transforms, she just needs to eat the longest vines, the fastest-growing blades of grass, and the freshest and most colorful fruits she can. The little caterpillar takes their advice—but she also stops along the way to help others with their troubles. Finally, it’s time for her to emerge from her chrysalis—imagine her disappointment to find that she’s still not as beautiful as the other butterflies! But the friends she’s helped have something important to tell her: she’s beautiful not because of her wings or her colors, but because of the kindness she carries inside—and that’s the most beautiful thing of all.

The little caterpillar is a hard-working and determined heroine, but, even more importantly, she is kind, and readers are sure to enjoy spotting the moments when her efforts to help others rather than herself move her closer to her goal of becoming beautiful. The story is delivered in short, purposeful sentences, giving beginner readers space to process and predict what will happen next, while sensory detail creates a warm and immersive reading experience. The digital artwork depicts the caterpillar and her world in bold, saturated colors that mirror the caterpillar’s dreams of beauty and reinforce the idea of a world made beautiful by kindness.

Perfect for young readers just starting to explore concepts of appearance and self-worth, this picture book offers a reassuring and heartfelt reminder that, while we don’t have much control over our physical appearance, it is our actions, which we can control, that count the most in how others see us.

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About the Author

Curtis Wright is a Special Education Elementary Teacher in Atlanta, Georgia. An educator for over 15 years, Mr. Wright enjoys the classroom experience and helping students learn and succeed inside and outside of the classroom. In 2016, he received the Excellence in Teaching Award. He was awarded the 2018–2019 teacher of the year at Atlanta Public Schools’ Peyton Forest Elementary School by Principal Dr. C. Gunner and Staff. He also received an award for teacher of the year from District 9 councilman Dustin Hillis and Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.

In 2022, Mr. Wright received an award from the nonprofit organization DonorsChoose for his classroom project, which provided clothing and other essentials to several students. In 2024, he was presented with the Above and Beyond Award by the Young Americans with Disabilities Association (Y.A.D.A.) Mr. Wright is also the author of the children’s book The Unbeautiful Butterfly. He is the proud father of 3 children Nya (21) who is currently attending Gwinnett Technical College and majoring in horticulture, Matthias (18) a freshman currently attending Georgia State University majoring in Film and Media and Bethany (14) is currently a freshman attending South Gwinnett High School.

Dedicated Reviews allow authors and illustrators to gain prompt visibility for their work. This is a sponsored*, non-biased review of The Unbeautiful Butterfly. Learn more about getting a book review …