Mark Eliot Freeman

Willie the Wingless Wonder Meets Chris the Cross-Eyed Caterpillar Mark Eliot Freeman

Willie the Wingless Wonder, a little crow whose wings never grew, is hunting for food one day in The Dark Forest when he meets Chris the Cross-Eyed Caterpillar. They soon become best friends and spend the summer playing together with Inky the Cat. Willie wonders where Chris' mother is and Chris tells him she's dead; she made a little house for herself in the fall, went to sleep for the winter, disappeared in the spring and never came back. When summer is over and Chris makes a house and goes to sleep too, Willie wonders all fall and winter if he'll ever see his friend again. When spring arrives, Willie thinks Chris has died, but is in for a big surprise! Using simple metaphors, this story helps children understand that death is not the end by teaching them about the renewal of life.