How Beautiful

Available November 2, 2021!

A “stunningly illustrated” (Booklist STARRED review) picture book about a curious caterpillar searching for the meaning of the word “beautiful.” But is there just one meaning—or many? 

A caterpillar lives a simple life on his leaf until one day, an UnKnown Thing picks him up and calls him beautiful. A question forms in the caterpillar’s mind: “What is beautiful?”

So begins a quest to discover the true meaning of the word beautiful. Much to the caterpillar’s surprise, each animal in the forest has their own unique definition: 

A bear declares that honeycomb is beautiful! 

The squirrels say leaves are beautiful! 

A mole says his burrow is beautiful!

What’s a caterpillar to do? 

How Beautiful offers kids an immersive, memorable experience. Elaborate and vivid illustrations by Melissa Castrillón, author of Yellow Kayak and If I Had a Little Dream, combine with a sweet, central message: 

• Beauty is as diverse as we are.
• “Beautiful” means something different to everyone, and that’s okay!
• The beauty of the natural world is worth celebrating!

Antonella Capetti is a beloved picture book author and longtime primary school teacher in Italy.

Melissa Castrillón studied illustration and children’s book illustration at the Cambridge School of Art and has illustrated many acclaimed picture books, including The Balcony, If I Had a Little Dream, and Yellow Kayak. A freelance illustrator, she lives in Cambridge, England.