Charming story about the youngest of three sisters who wants to find a way to stand out and be remembered like her sisters are. The initial problem is set up clearly (Velma doesn’t stand out but wants to), then she tries to get noticed in unsuccessful ways (e.g., for bad things instead of good ones), then finally finds something she’s good at and excited about—butterflies. She gets her chance to shine during a trip to the butterfly museum, and then the second problem of the story starts, which is that a butterfly attaches itself to her finger and won’t let go. For days. Finally, just when the principal is getting fed up, Velma, drawing on her butterfly knowledge, realizes how she can get the butterfly to go at last. It’s complex and satisfying and the language is lovely in many places, and of course the illustrations are fabulous because they are by Kevin Hawkes. There were a few places where I felt transitions were missing from one scene to another, and I didn’t buy the moment where Velma almost touches a butterfly’s wings even though she knows it could hurt the insect, but otherwise I thought this was very well done. ( )

Beautiful pictures set the scene for this sweet story about a 1st grader who wants to be remembered like her sisters. She doesn't seem to stand out at anything though until she starts learning about butterflies and one takes a liking to her. Very enjoyable read! ( )

Velma Gratch enters first grade in the shadow of her older sisters who seemed to shine at everything. Science is her favorite topic and she becomes enthralled learning about butterflies -- and learning new vocabulary like metamorphosis, migration, and conservatory. She reads everything she can find about butterflies and when the class visits the butterfly conservatory, her knowledge stands out. Upon leaving one butterfly lands on her finger and refuses to fly off. It stays there -- making Velma definitely stand out -- until one day she helps it go on its annual migration with the other monarch butterflies. Everyone (even her two older sisters) agrees that Velma's butterfly and her knowledge of them are "way cool".