“[Castrillón’s] wild drawings carry a decorative impulse to unexpected heights.”—New York Times

A stunningly illustrated picture book about a curious caterpillar searching for the true meaning of the word “beautiful.” But is there one true 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!

Illustrated by: Melissa Castrillon