Wingmaker

by Dave Cameron, David Huyck

Overview

A curious and inventive caterpillar with an unusual technique for becoming a moth. Gramma Tinker is an old caterpillar who lives at the end of a cherry tree branch. Leaf and Lou, ant friends who live nearby, love to hear about her many inventions. One day, Gramma shows them her greatest invention yet: the Wingmaker 77. She is preparing for an adventure, and Leaf and Lou can’t imagine what it might be — especially when Gramma explains that she’ll rest inside the Wingmaker for two weeks, and when she emerges she’ll be “changed.” Why does Gramma need to make wings? And why is she studying flying creatures to learn about flight? Change happens. Being curious about it makes it fun!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781525304101
Publisher:	Kids Can Press
Publication date:	06/01/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	83 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Dave Cameron is an award-winning magazine writer whose work has appeared in The Walrus, Reader’s Digest and Cottage Life. This is his first book for children. He lives with his family in Hamilton, Ontario.;David Huyck is an award-winning illustrator, as well as a printmaker, a painter and a sculptor. He illustrated If Kids Ruled the World, which won both the Blue Spruce Award and the Shining Willow, and Manners Are Not for Monkeys. He lives with his family in Northfield, Minnesota.

Editorial Reviews

A good-hearted picture book with an unusual, fictional take on metamorphosis.—Kirkus Reviews

... an intriguing take around the metamorphosis of the eastern tent caterpillar ...—CM Magazine

From the Publisher

07/01/2021

Gr 2–4—This noble effort to explain both the scientific method and the insect life cycle falls short in storytelling. Leaf and Lou are two hardworking ants who have made friends with Gramma Tinker, a 77-day-old eastern tent caterpillar who lives in the tree above the ant hill. Gramma Tinker studies the wings of flies, bats, and hummingbirds, and is working on a new invention: the Wingmaker 77. After completing the mysterious invention, Gramma Tinker disappears. She returns a couple of weeks later as a moth, to the ants' surprise. The titular Wingmaker is never seen, obscuring the pupa stage from readers. Instead, back matter provides a scientifically accurate explanation of the moth's life cycle. Some of the art compositions are chaotic, resulting in a wordy text to explain what's happening in the scene. VERDICT The colors are bright, the ants are cute, and the other wildlife is not without charm, but this is an additional purchase at best.—Chance Lee Joyner, Haverhill P.L., MA

School Library Journal

2021-03-31
Leaf and Lou are ants who live at the base of the cherry tree where their beloved friend, the eccentric caterpillar Gramma Tinker, has her laboratory and her home.

After a long day of taking care of larval ants and tidying up tunnels, Leaf and Lou love to visit Gramma Tinker and see her inventions. In the 77 days of her life, Gramma Tinker has invented all kinds of things, ranging from a 14-pedal bicycle for caterpillars to a special pair of scissors that help Leaf cut leaves for food. Leaf and Lou are excited because Gramma Tinker is working on her most daring invention yet: a silky contraption called the Wingmaker 77. In order to perfect her latest innovation, Gramma Tinker asks Leaf and Lou to help her do some research. Together, Leaf, Lou, and Gramma Tinker interview a hummingbird, a fly, and a bat to find out more about what it takes to fly. After these conversations, Gramma Tinker announces that she’s ready for an adventure and asks Leaf and Lou to come back in two weeks. When they return, everything is different—and more exciting than they could have possibly imagined. This reimagination of a caterpillar’s experience of metamorphosis introduces a preschool science concept while also encouraging children to use their imaginations. The pastel-hued cartoon illustrations complement the book’s sweet and gentle tone. While the book is hardly scientifically accurate, the story is entertaining and creative. (This book was reviewed digitally with 11.3-by-17.8-inch double-page spreads viewed at 20.9% of actual size.)

A good-hearted picture book with an unusual, fictional take on metamorphosis. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews