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Marcus is an inquisitive boy. One day, he goes into the forest to find an anthill, capture its queen, and use her to start an ant farm. He gets distracted from this aim by a girl sitting in a tree, who guides him in climbing up to join her on a branch. After observing a fox going about his business, the girl tells Marcus she is there to watch a chrysalis, waiting for a butterfly to emerge. She becomes sad when Marcus suggests putting the chrysalis in an aquarium at home, stressing that keeping a butterfly in captivity would be a tragedy. Their discussion makes Marcus rethink his interactions with nature, and he decides not to capture an ant queen after all. Instead, he decides to simply enjoy observing the natural wonders around them. With this shared goal in mind, the friendship between the children gets off to a strong start, and they plan to watch the butterfly eventually emerge together.
This beautifully illustrated children’s story has a clear focus on improving reading comprehension. Parts of several words in each sentence are put in bold to encourage young readers to place an emphasis on their sounds when reading them aloud. In addition, the story itself shares a powerful lesson in the importance of appreciating the beauty of nature without needing to capture or control it. Children learn that going out into the world and observing its wonders is more fun (and kinder) than bringing everything home with them. There is a wonderful sense of freedom in it as well. That is an admirable thing for everyone, regardless of their age, to understand. As such, this tale is a romp through the reading process and the thrill of natural wonders.