Papilio
by Ben Clanton, Corey R. Tabor, and Andy Chou Musser; illus. by the authors
Primary    Viking    48 pp.
3/25    9780593693254    $19.99
e-book ed.  9780593693278    $10.99

Three author-illustrators join forces for this story told in three parts about the life cycle of a black swallowtail butterfly. Clanton goes first, rendering Papilio’s caterpillar stage “and a bit of egg time too” in a combination of paint, pencil, crayon, ink, etchings, pressings, stamps, and halftone patterns. With pencil and watercolor, Tabor follows Clanton’s caterpillar as she moves into her next phase encased in a gooey-centered chrysalis. Finally, in gouache and colored pencil with digital paint and collage, Musser concludes Papilio’s story when, as a butterfly, she breaks free and takes flight. Despite their distinct styles, the trio orchestrates a coherent narrative through the book’s unifying design and color palette, the incorporation of comic conventions, and a humorous through line with a recurring mouse sidekick. The book encourages readers to make careful observations through punny wordplay and insect antics. Side-by-side panels on the front cover and a circular diagram split into thirds on the back juxtapose the three artists’ styles. Likewise, on the verso of the section-opening spreads, diagram-like illustrations of Clanton’s caterpillar slowly transition into Tabor’s chrysalis and, later, Tabor’s chrysalis into Musser’s butterfly. Setting details that appear in each artist’s section, such as a large, pink, poppy-like flower, are noticeably the same, yet distinctly Clanton- or Tabor- or Musser-esque. A clever celebration of close looking, collaboration, and experimentation that offers a fresh twist on a familiar metamorphosis story.

From the July/August 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.