Moth in a Fancy Cardigan (Charlotte Lance, illus by David Booth, Berbay)
This illustrated middle-grade novel is a cute and quirky story about self-expression and the courage to be seen, told from the perspectives of a shy moth and a popular butterfly. School is tough and dreary for quiet Gary Grey Moth: he doesn’t fit in but he doesn’t stand out either. Meanwhile, clumsy, scattered Florence Butterfly is sick of the expectations on her to be graceful and composed. When a chance encounter causes them to accidentally swap cardigans, they finally get to express their true selves by walking in the other’s shoes and both come to realise that their appearances don’t dictate who they are. Author Charlotte Lance has captured a unique story and her casual conversational style creates the directness, humour and relatability that younger audiences very much enjoy. The illustrations by David Booth really animate the book, injecting fun and whimsy into the pages, and the limited colour palette is clever with its use of black, white and yellow to juxtapose the two different characters. While not a particularly deep and meaningful tale, the story is simple and sweet, and the language is fairly sophisticated while remaining appealing for those shorter attention spans. For fans of books like Diary of a Wimpy Kid, this book, with its funny, snarky, diary-esque content, would best suit those aged 7–10 with a higher reading level.
George Banach-Salas is a former bookseller, currently writing and teaching in Tāmaki Makaurau.
