IT'S HARD TO BE VELMA entering first grade. That's because everyone has marvelous memories of her two older sisters, who were practically perfect first graders, and no one even notices Velma. But all that changes on a class trip to the butterfly conservatory, a place neither of her sisters has been. When a monarch roosts on Velma's finger and won't budge for days - no one will ever forget it . . . or her! Kids will enjoy reading about everything butterflies, from migration to metamorphosis, as they follow Velma's own transformation. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

At the center of Madison's (The Littlest Grape Stomper) picture book is first-grader Velma Gratch; despite her round eyeglasses and bushy red pigtails, she worries that she isn't as memorable as her well-known older siblings until she discovers butterflies. She adored the ones with colorful names: brown elfin, frosted flasher, sleepy orange. And the ones with funny names: comma, question mark, American snout. During a school trip to a butterfly conservatory, which Velma aptly calls a can-serve-the-story in a humorous if too-cute Junie B.-esque malapropism, the otherwise ordinary story veers abruptly into fantasy. A monarch perches on Velma's finger and won't let go (she attends ballet class with it on her finger and sleeps with her butterfly hand on a pillow), finally giving her the distinction she craves. Hawkes's (Library Lion) paintings ably convey the colorful differences between the types of butterflies. His work shines most brightly, perhaps, on his witty endpapers: the opening papers show caterpillars (including an orange-tipped Gratch); the papers at the end display butterflies (Velma is now a Small Gratchis), underscoring the character's own metamorphosis. Both adults and emerging conservationists should appreciate this leisurely story about finding one's bliss. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Starred Review. K-Gr 3 Velma is the youngest of the Gratch sisters and longs to be special in her own right. Her flame-red tresses are pulled into tight ponytails that mirror her moods. They droop in dismay, rise during moments of intellectual absorption, and are positively airborne when she's happy a state that is challenging to achieve because of her birth order. Her eldest sister is gifted musically and the second one is athletic. Velma's niche eludes her until a science lesson on butterflies and a field trip to the conservatory (where a monarch perches on her finger and stays for days) transform her world. Patterns in Madison's lyrical text are mirrored in Hawkes's sensitive but humorous compositions, a choice that creates aesthetic pleasure and propels the narrative with seamless, rhythmic buoyancy. From the colophon in the shape of a butterfly to the labeled caterpillars and then mature winged creatures on the front and back endpapers, respectively, it is clear that much attention has been paid to design. The book is a visual and verbal delight. While it is a perfect curricular tie-in, don't wait for an excuse to share this story of a gentle but plucky girl determined to discover her talents. Kids will relate to Velma's struggle and rejoice in her victory. Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

When she enters first grade, Velma Gratch feels lost in the shadows of her two older sisters: "Everyone from the class guinea pig to the principal had magnificent memories of the older Gratch girls. But they could hardly even recall Velma's name." At first Velma misbehaves to get attention. Then she becomes fascinated by the butterflies she is studying in science class. On a class trip to a butterfly conservatory, a monarch lands on her finger and stays put-for days. Velma and her butterfly become so popular and distracting that the principal calls for the monarch's release, and Velma, with the entire school in tow, returns it to the conservatory just as the other monarchs take flight for their winter migration. Madison's cleverly woven butterfly facts bolster this amusing story of a younger sibling's fight for individuality, while Hawkes extends the humor and emotion in vivid, colored-pencil images of first-graders, insects, siblings, and, best of all, Velma-whose wide, outstretched orange pigtails are as bright as a monarch's wings. Engberg, Gillian. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.