In this children’s picture book, a young girl enjoys a day at the pool with her father and is amazed by a close encounter with a butterfly.

Erica, the five-year-old narrator, awakens one Saturday morning to learn her dad plans to take her to the local pool. She’s excited because this is one of her favorite activities. Over breakfast, she asks whether it’s possible to touch a butterfly (a question she has pondered for some time) and learns that that the answer is yes—if you’re quiet and still. Later, during a break in swimming, she watches a butterfly land on her father’s arm and is enthralled by the experience.

The book’s illustrations are vibrant, dimensional and engaging, with expressive characters and a sense of bright summer sun throughout. The narrator’s close relationship with her dad is heartwarming and will be relatable for many young readers. His gentleness and calm provide adult readers with a role model for similar moments with the children in their own lives.

The butterfly encounter is memorable as well, but young readers would benefit from a clearer tie between this and the “valuable life lesson” the introduction suggests they will learn. While the father at the end tells Erica it means she can do anything if she tries, the message lands flat: She didn’t have to try to attract the butterfly—and she also wasn’t the one who touched it.

The author mentions this story is based on a real-life memory with his daughter. While the event was magical, turning this into a resonant story for young readers would require altering either the summarized lesson or the recounted events.

Overall, this is a warm, vibrantly illustrated story that captures a loving father-daughter relationship and the wonder of an unexpected encounter with nature. Its emotional appeal is stronger than its message, however, because the story’s events don’t clearly support the life lesson the book ultimately draws from them.

Also available in hardcover and ebook.