My Butterfly Secret

By Mahesh Pathirathna

Illustrated by Evi Shelvia

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How do you choose between helping beautiful butterflies and helping your family? Batu wants to do both. It's not easy, but with help from his family and friends, he finds a way to take care of his new baby brother and the special butterfly place.

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"A young Indonesian boy is torn between protecting the local butterflies or feeding his family.

Before moving far away for a job, Batu’s Bapak (Father) shows the youngster a secluded part of the forest teeming with stunning butterflies. Bapak urges Batu to keep the place a secret. The young narrator adheres to Bapak’s request, avoiding the area while playing with friends but returning on his own. The butterflies’ bold colors pop, and when Batu notices butterflies that have died, he takes them home and decorates the walls with them—a practice that continues when he lets his sister in on the family secret. A stranger offers to pay for one of his fallen butterflies, and Batu reluctantly agrees; with a new baby, his family needs the money. The demand for butterflies increases worldwide, word spreads quickly in the village, the secret location is leaked, and people show up with nets. “When my promise felt stronger than my hunger, I put my net down,” Batu notes. Quickly, his family realizes the environmental damage. Pathirathna and Shelvia provide a gentle example of environmental advocacy as Batu and his family build connections within their community to find a way to protect the butterflies. Shelvia relies on soft outlines and textures to create whimsical landscapes. An author’s note offers more context on the practice of butterfly collecting in Indonesia.

A tender example of environmental stewardship."

— Kirkus Reviews