The Butterfly

The Butterfly

Written and Illustrated by Patricia Polacco

Age Level: 6-9
 

Interest Level: Grades 1 & Up

Reading Level: Independent Reader

Genre: Historical Fiction - World War II - German Occupation 
 

Have you ever wanted to help someone but you were not sure how? Have you ever believed in something so much you would do anything to make the situation better? Have you ever been trusted with a secret that you were not sure how to keep? The answers to these questions are just a few scenarios that Monique, and her mother, Marcel, had to encounter and deal with throughout this story. Marcel believed in protecting innocent people so much that she did whatever it took in order to help them; even if it meant sacrificing her family’s, and her own safety. Monique was trusted with a secret that she had discovered her mother was keeping from her. However, the secret was not meant to be kept from Marcel, it was meant to be kept from the outside world. Read this story to discover characters that demonstrate what it is like to be courageous, selfless, and kindhearted.

Monique was aware that there was a war going on where she lived in Paris, France. One night, looking up at the moon, she became aware of just how real this all was, and how it was taking over most parts of the world. Sitting up in bed, Monique suddenly saw a figure of a girl sitting at the edge of her bed and when she tried to talk to her the girl ran out of her room. Monique was anxious to tell her mother, Marcel, about what she had saw the next morning during breakfast but her mother became very defensive and quite angry with what she was hearing. When Monique arrived at school, she told her best friend, Denise, the same thought that her mother rejected earlier that day. After school, Monique and Denise stopped by their favorite store, the candy shop, on their way back home. They noticed it had grown empty from the war, but because they were close with the owner, Monsieur Marks, he saved them each a treat. The girls heard a noise coming and the Nazi’s quickly took Monsieur Marks away. The girls watched in disbelief and devastation to the cruelty that was being bestowed upon their innocent friend. A night soon after, Monique sees this figure of a girl once again, this time holding her cat so she knows she is not imagining it. This girl is named Sevrine. Sevrine explains to Monique about how Marcel has been allowing her and her parents to live beneath the floorboard that lead into the cellar. Sevrine and Monique begin to develop a friendship and play secretly together at night. One night, when the two girls were talking upstairs in front of the window, they found a neighbor across the courtyard staring directly at the two of them. They told Marcel because they knew it was no longer safe for their family to stay at the house and she unfortunately decided that they needed to seek safety somewhere else. Marcel made arrangements for the family and brought them separately to safety.

Reading this book would be supportive for students that are learning about symbolism. In this book, the butterfly symbolizes freedom for Sevrine and her family, as well as all others who are suffering in the Holocaust. Sevrine and Monique hold the butterfly in the window and talk about how someday Sevrine and her family will be free just like that butterfly that they let fly away. At the end of the book, Monique is in the garden and suddenly there are many butterflies all around her and her mother. Monique understands the symbolism of the butterflies to be a message from Sevrine that she and her family are finally free and safe from harm.

The book is supportive in the introduction to new vocabulary. Students reading this book may not know right away that papillon is the French term used for butterfly. However, from the context clues used before and after this word, students will be able to make the connection that butterfly and papillon are the same thing because they are used to describe the same object. The illustrations also support the introduction to the new vocabulary word because the two girls are admiring the papillon/ butterfly and setting it free together.

A great challenge that this book presents is the topic of World War II. This book presents heavy material for young students to fully grasp and understand. If I were teaching a lesson with this book I would use it strictly for whole class purposes so that discussions could be held to deepen student understanding and open up room for questioning and commentary. Because of the heavy topic that this book presents, I would divide it into sections while reading it so that each part could be examined more closely and students would have the time that they needed to make meaning of, and connections with, the text. Another challenge brought out from the topic of this book is unfolded within the first couple of pages. When teaching this book, great attention and sensitivity needs to be paid to the way the Nazi soldiers treated Monsieur Marks.

The illustrations in this book show great distress on the faces of the characters. The reader can really get a sense for how the characters are feeling and how scared and concerned they are during the horrific events of this war. I believe that children will be able to connect with the faces of the characters, that illustrate worry and fear, and be able to think of a time where they have felt the same way. Students will be able to use these illustrations to identify with different emotions and be able to infer knowledge about how the characters are feeling from their facial expressions.

This book would be used in the classroom to teach students about the German occupation in France. This book could introduce or review World War II and shed a new light on the topic by representing the point of view of children during this time. This book could also be used to have students practice finding symbolism in a non-fiction story and determine what the symbolism represents. This book could also teach students about goodness and the desired characteristics of a humanitarian. From reading this book, students should understand what it means to: do the right thing (what is the right thing to do?), be a good friend, be loyal to another person, care for others, be thoughtful for others feelings and situations.

Connections to MA Curriculum Framework

History

WHII.22 Summarize the consequences of Soviet communism to 1945. (H, E)

A.   The destruction of individual rights and the use of mass terror against the population, 
the use of terror against internal enemies, and the destruction of individual rights

WHII.26 Describe the background, course, and consequences of the Holocaust, including its roots in the long tradition of Christian anti-Semitism, 19th century ideas about race and nation, and Nazi dehumanization of the Jews. (H)

WHII.28 Explain the consequences of World War II. (H, E)

B. The enormous loss of life, including millions of civilians through the bombing of population 
centers and the slaughter of political opponents and ethnic minorities

English Language Arts

2.5 Summarize in a coherent and organized way information and ideas learned from a focused discussion

4.17 Determine the meaning of unfamiliar words using context clues

8.1 Make predictions using prior knowledge, pictures, and text.

8.3 Ask questions about the important characters, settings, and events.

8.5 Retell important facts from a text heard or read.

8.6 Make predictions about what will happen next in a story, and explain 
whether they were confirmed or disconfirmed and why.

8.11 Identify and show the relevance of foreshadowing clues.

8.14 Make judgments about setting, characters, and events and support them 
with evidence from the text.

8.15 Locate facts that answer the reader’s questions.

8.20 Identify and analyze the author’s use of dialogue and description.