Chasing Butterflies

by Harry Toews

Join Sophia and Matteo who explore the wonders of their grandmother's enchanting rose garden in the search for magic. But is all what it seems? Along the way they discover a world of beauty and kindness as well learning a valuable life lesson. Once finishing the story, you'll be left hungry for more!

When you order now, for a limited time, not only will you get this fantastic book but you'll also receive a special cartoon version of the story at NO EXTRA COST!! Bring the story to life on screen and become immersed in Sophia and Matteo's magical world like never before! To download your free video, please visit our website www.littlelifelessons.ca

For Parents:

Author Harry Towes' "Chasing Butterflies" is the first of six enthralling stories which are not only exciting for kids, but also teach them important moral life lessons in a fun and unique way. These books are a 'must have' for any parent who wants their kids to gain an important set of moral values. Guaranteed to bring enjoyment, smiles and education!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

29 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 2013

About the author

Oh hello there, have you come in search of me or stumbled onto my page? Well no matter the journey that got you here, you have arrived and welcome to my tale.

My name is Harry Toews. From head to toe it's me, that's my picture there for all the world to see.
I'm wearing my white coat so people know I'm hard at work, I like to wear a bow tie as a tie I can never fold up. Of course I always have a pencil in my pocket as I get a great idea and before you know I've forgotten it... Oh and yes you noticed my great big hairy feet! If there's one thing to concede, it's that no one can compete with my great hairy feet!

I hope you will enjoy my first book 'Chasing Butterflies' and join me in learning Little Life Lessons.

Farewell for now...

Reviews

[Travis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chasing Butterflies by Harry Toews is a wonderful children's book! The book's message to refrain from judging on first impressions and appearances and to love others lends wisdom to all ages. To be slow to judgement is a lesson for all ages not just children. That message is delivered, simple and sweet.

The illustrations and text are melded perfectly. My daughter loved this book the first go and to me that is the gold standard that all writers in this genre should aspire.

The magic that is referred to in the book could just as easily be interpreted as the internal change that occurs when we modify our behavior and change our attitudes from that which is negative to positive and approach what we see with love. There is real magic in that type of vision. Vision that sees beyond the surface, vision that isn't clouded by preconceived notions and any negative attitudes.

I liked the subtle way the book reveals the fruits of patience that occur in the children's eyes. They vow never to judge on appearances alone again. A great message!

Special thanks to Harry Toews for gifting this book to me via Amazon. I loved the book as did my eight year old daughter! Best wishes!

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute book about everyday magic and not judging by appearance. The illustrations are clean and crisp and adorable, and the relationship between Sophia and Matteo reminded me of the days when my little brother was my best friend and we had similar adventures together. I'm always a big fan of finding beauty in unlikely places, and magic in the ordinary world, and I like how this book plays that up to subtly talk about the magic and beauty in people as well. I have to admit that when I saw in the description that it's aimed at instilling important moral values in children I was a little nervous. Not everyone agrees on what constitutes morality, so I wondered what the message would be exactly. But the idea of not judging based on appearance is definitely one I can get behind, and I thought the message well done, and done in a way that will make sense to preschoolers. It's simple, but deceptively so. Anyway, I look forward to the next books in the series!

* Thanks for sharing, Harry Toews! (Ha! I just now got the joke of the name in connection with the last page of the book where the author is illustrated. Good one!)

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have gotten this book as a gift from the author in exchange for an honest review. :)

First of all, thank you Harry Toews for gifting me this book!

Now my review:

I really loved this book, it was simple, but very magical. I really loved the story and the morale/lesson we learned. I am sure kids will love it!
The main characters were cute and I liked that they (unlike in some children books) act like children. They get told to not do something, and like children do, they just do it.

The pictures/illustrations they are really nice and I absolutely love the colours, so vibrant and shiny.

In overall, a magical book, which is fun to read, but will also learn kids a lesson in a fun way.

And of course butterflies. <3

I would recommend this to all parents who need a new, interesting book to read to their children, or for children who want to try out reading a book, even if you can't read that well, the images will help a lot, they tell the story too.

[C. McKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two children visit their grandmother's garden and discover the true magic of her special space. The illustrations are simple and charming, and they're a perfect springboard for getting children to react to the story.

I had one problem of logic. If the children visited their grandmother regularly I wondered why they were surprised at the magic words on her gate and why they weren't accustomed to the lotus and the butterflies from previous visits. However, when I read the story with a five-year-old, that didn't bother him at all. He enjoyed the adventure and particularly wanted to talk about the butterflies.

So overall, I'd say this is a book I'd recommend for the young reader.

[Carey Decevito · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a beautiful stories about not judging something from what it looks from the outside. The illustrations were wonderful and my 4-year-old daughter appreciated them. She's asked for more to read and since I see that this work had a life lesson, I'd definitely pick up more from Mr. Toews.

[Sealove · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a Magical journey into the mind of a child!

We all remember what joy there is in discovering nature... Especially the magic of butterflies!

Thank you for reminding us all!

We recommend this story to anyone who believes in magic and wonder!

[Lori Henrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short tale with a good message. The only problem I had was that the wording seem slightly awkward in spots. Otherwise a good message for kids and grownups.

[Jade Kuhn · Rating 5 out of 5]

**Spoiler alert** The following review may hint at or give away some of the story. As a children's literature reviewer, I would like to first say I do recommend this book to anyone with young children, or teachers, and also to librarians. It contains a couple of great lessons that some of us as adults have not been able to see.


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I absolutely ADORE this story!! The story is about a brother and sister that visit their grandmothers house after school lets out for the summer. We follow the children out into their abuela's magical garden and through the adventures to find the magic that their grandmother says is there. Towards the end we go through the same emotions that the children go through when they find the magic. The author has amazing talent to be able to make readers feel the emotion in so few pages.

The illustrations go along with the text and give us a bit of outside information that isn't in the text. We get to see how the characters look since they aren't described (standard for picture books). We get to see abuela's garden and many other features of the story that are written or aren't written. The author uses a very limited color pattern when showing illustrations of the children or room furniture, but it doesn't take away from the story. When we see the garden with the butterflies and flowers we are shown color and LIFE, aka the magic that is brought out.

On top of the story there is a message intertwined into the story. "Don't judge a book by it's cover" is the major point of the story; that and of course finding the 'magic'. I really loved this story and I will definitely review more of this authors work!!

This is an absolutely charming story filled with such character! I definitely recommend this!!!!

xoxo,
Jade

[M.M. Hudson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chasing Butterflies by author, Harry Toews is a cute and short children's book that follows Sophia and Matteo who are enjoying playing in the backyard garden of their Grandma's house. They have gone to visit her for the Summer like they do every year.

Things are always fascinating at their Grandma's house, whom they call Abuela. Grandma always has a little lesson to teach them, although they really are not aware of that. This year, it is about magic.

As Sophia and Matteo explore they discover things that seem ugly and out of place which includes an ugly green worm. They capture this worm and forget it about it. However, they soon find out that not everything is as it appears, they also learn the lesson that judging something or someone that looks different before knowing is not the answer and within that is...magic.

Harry Toews along with his illustrator Viser has managed to create the simplest of lessons visually appealing but yet interesting enough for the emergent reader. The lessons are understood quickly and without a lot of babble. The illustrations vibrant and not overly done.

I am sure that any kid would love these series of books.

This book gets 4 stars from me.
~Naila Moon

Disclosure: I received a Kindle version of this book for my open and honest review. The opinions expressed here are 100% my own.

[Sarri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was my first encounter with a children's e-book, I got a free copy from the author (thank you Mr. Toews!). The Kindle for PC was amazingly easy to install even though I first had my doubts... I am not that familiar with the e-book format.

I give the book 3,5 stars. The story was quite cute and I thought that it would be nice reading for pre-schoolers. I found really positive that the two siblings Sophia and Matteo naturally played and explored the nature together. They were curious, happy and friendly and there were no negative feelings between them. So nice! They were allowed to climb trees and a ladder and explore the little pond, things that were natural for the kids back in my childhood but might not be allowed for the chidren nowadays. So there's a subtle lesson for over protective parents, too. I also thought that it was nice that Sophia's and Matteo's grandmother was in the story.

I found the lesson of the story a bit loud (don't judge a book by its cover). Althtough it can be very useful when teaching children things about life. This is overall a nice book to read aloud and learn a thing or two. Nice whimsical illustrations, too.

[Bruce Gargoyle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, I actually would rate this one 3.5 stars.

Chasing Butterflies is a gentle read that follows Sophia and Matteo as they discover an important lesson about judging by appearances. The illustrations are simple, colourful and appealing and perfect for the ebook format in which this book has been released. Young children will thoroughly enjoy the reveal of the "magic" and no doubt be inspired to begin their own quest to discover something similar in their own backyard.

Given the amount of text in the book, I would recommend this story for early independent readers. Alternatively, given the inter-generational theme to the tale, it would be the perfect book for grandparents to gift to and read with their grandchildren.

Thanks to the author for the opportunity to read and review Chasing Butterflies.

[The Reading Countess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sophia and Matteo arrive at their abuela's home for their annual summer stay only to find out that she has a magical garden. Ignoring the posted sign, they must learn the true meaning behind the cautionary sign for themselves-the hard way. The life lesson, or what we call the "so-what" in education, is very apparent at the end of the book.

I like how Matteo and Sophia are Hispanic, as all too often, we don't see enough Hispanic characters in today's stories. However, some of the wording felt awkward. Chasing Butterflies would actually make an excellent text to showcase to emerging writers the art of revision.

*Thanks to the author for providing a free copy for my honest review.

[Erika B. (SOS BOOKS) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this book is just straight up adorable! I loved Sophia and Matteo's adventures in their Abuela's magic garden. This book would be an excellent one for kids when they are doing a butterfly unit in school! I always loved hunting for caterpillars and watching them change into monarch butterflies! There really is something magical about that process! I loved the underlying message of things not being what they seem at first glance and if we give things enough time we can find the beauty that seemed hidden. "What once looked ugly will turn beautiful with love and patience. We must never judge. We must only love. It is magic."

[Miss Ryoko · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author of this book sent me a copy to read and review. Thank you Harry for the book! The story was cute. This book would fit in perfectly at the school I teach at because every summer nearly every classroom cares for caterpillars until they turn into monarch butterflies. I really enjoyed the colorful text and pictures. The storytelling itself is pretty basic (for my tastes), but I did love the message the grandma gave to the children about not judging things for how it looks. Because the same could be said for the opposite (what is beautiful isn't always good).

Thank you again Harry for a copy of your book! I enjoyed it :-)

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matteo and Sophia look forward to visiting their grandmother every summer. When they get there, they set out to play in her garden and explore its magic. During their fun, there's a valuable lesson to be learned about hastily judging things by how they look.

First off, I have to say that the illustrations in 'Chasing Butterflies' are absolutely adorable. The story held the interest of my youngest right to the end and we both enjoyed reading it together very much. This is a wonderful book to give to a young reader in your life and I look forward to the next one!

[Joanne Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Charming short book with attractive, funny illustrations which probably would have looked even better if they weren't on my Nook. A nice little morality tale for younger children, with a strong message about not judging by appearances. It was slightly awkwardly written in places and over too quickly, hence the four stars. I felt it could have gone on for a few more pages and I wouldn't have grown tired of it! Recommended for younger children, age 5-7, and children who are interested in nature and magic.

[Lauren Monsey Nagel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was asked to read a delightful children's book, written by Harry Toews. It was a pleasure to read and the only drawback was that it was only available on the e reader. I don't have one but I got around it by reading it in my browser. The story has 2 children, a sister and brother named Sophia and Matteo. They are lucky children that get to spend time with their grandmother and learn life's lesson. The story simple but interesting and I can't wait to read some more of the life lessons. I enjoyed this book immensely.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the inclusion of 3 generations in the family; it's always good to see grandparents actively involved in a story. Having the children spend their summer playing outdoors presents a good role model (rather than playing video games all day). Parents and teachers will appreciate how the children learn not to judge by appearances. You can build conversation around their original assumptions that something unattractive or different is worthless. I would recommend this to teachers and counselors of elementary students.

[Micheal Cupples · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great! I read it with my 6 year old daughter. She says she liked it very much. She says it was a very cute story because of all the fairies, butterflies, and flowers. I liked it because it did a great job of conveying a wonderful message that my kiddo picked up on without any explaination. We read it at bedtime and had a great discussion about why we shouldn't judge anything, including people, by looks. I'm an elementary school librarian, and I would love to purchase this book for my students. A book like this will help so much in the battle against bullying.

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chasing Butterflies is a sweet story that brings back to mind our childhood and those times with our Grandmas. To the kids in the story, their Grandma gave them unique magical moments like no one else. This is a story to impart values to our children.

Toews wrote a children book of beauty. Art in his story reminds me of ingenuity and simplicity. Colors are soft and go well with the illustrations.

I recommend this book for kids 4 to 7. Kids will enjoy the beauty of the illustrations, the colors and the story.

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has several messages all bundled up in one, but what particularly stood out to me was the classic "ugly duckling" theme, of something ugly (in this case a caterpillar) "magically" turning into a beautiful butterfly. Unfortunately, the language isn't as lyrical and beautiful as the theme. The illustrations, however, make up for that. Bright, colorful, slightly whimsical. They make "this little life lesson" worth it.

[Abby Vandiver · Rating 4 out of 5]

A charming little story with a life lesson for all.

Chasing Butterflies is a children's book that, with its wonderful illustrations, is well done. I read it as an eBook and was very impressed with the formatting displayed on my Kindle. I also read it to my five-year old granddaughter and she thoroughly enjoyed it, explaining to me how butterflies came from caterpillars. I would certainly share Mr. Toews other children's books with my grandchildren. Nicely done.

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would love to give this book to my neice who is just beginning to read. The book imparts a learning lesson which we all alike (children & adults) can apply in life. Nice illustrations with appropriate number of words per page. You get a nice and colorful surprise at the end. I guarantee you that. Thank you Harry! =)

[Beenish Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy from the writer. It was a quick read with a good message. I think it's suitable for kids of ages up to six or eight and certainly teaches them to appreciate things irrespective of first impressions or appearances.

I would have liked a bit of tension or suspense and more insight in kids' thought process. As for ending, I think the climax needs to be more tight.

[Callie Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like the lesson the story teaches. As a parent it's something that I'm consistently preaching.

But I think it has a bit of excess information that takes away some of the magic from the story. The beginning about the kids being at school first and other little bits take away from what could be a good story.

Also, I think the illustration is nice.

[Jordan Jeran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great color scheme and art throughout the whole book. Great book to use when teaching about insects as well as life lessons. Very easy to read and a good story about the magic of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly.

[Caitlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has a really sweet message that is needed to be taught to all children. Not only is the message clear and precise for kids to understand it also teaches the life cycle of butterflies which is an added bonus! Very nice story!

[Demelza Carlton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a sweet story about children visiting their grandmother and enjoying the magic in her garden. Lovely for pre-primary to lower primary school children - with very pretty illustrations to match the text.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fantastic children's book - with a great lesson for kids about judging things by their looks. Loved it - Thanks Harry Toews!

[Ama · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars.

Cute illustrations. Nice lesson. A little wordy.