James Kelly

The Purple Caterpillar James Kelly

The Purple Caterpillar is a beautifully illustrated children's book that teaches tot's to adults about prejudices, bullying, indifference, and acceptance of others. When Doggie, the purple caterpillar is picked on because of his color, by the red, green, yellow and orange caterpillars, he goes off on his own crying. Mary Kay, a pink caterpillar feels sorry for him and decides to join Doggie. Together, they make a decision to cross a wide sidewalk in order to get something to eat. As they begin to cross, a young girl named Susie, from the schoolyard nearby, sees the tiny caterpillars and decides to gather them to take back to the classroom for her science project. Just as she goes to pick them up, Billy, the bully, tries to step on them. Susie pushes Billy away and suggests they team up together with the intent of getting an "A". He agrees and they take the caterpillars back to the classroom and put them on display. Inside their jar, Doggie and Susie each make a cocoon. Two weeks later they emerge as these beautiful butterflies. After their newly formed wings have dried, the children of the classroom decide it is time to let the new butterflies go. The children all gather onto the schoolyard and set Doggie and Mary Kay free. Susie and Billy get an "A", and Billy learns that he can be popular without being a bully. When the other tiny caterpillars, now butterflies too, see Doggie the butterfly, they think he turned out to be the most beautiful of all. Mrs. Kind, their butterfly teacher overhears Doggie and Susie's former classmates talking, and decides to call them together for one last class. She explains that Doggie is the same individual he was as a caterpillar, even though he is now a butterfly. She further explains that the beauty of all of us comes from within, not from our appearance.