A plain caterpillar feels dull next to colorful animals like rainbow lorikeets and spotted frogs. When it transforms into a butterfly, its wings combine all the beautiful traits it admired, showing that ordinary things can become extraordinary.
Chapters
Hi, my name is Dave Edgren, and I'm going to read you The Very Ordinary Caterpillar, written and illustrated by Gary Fleming. Once there was a caterpillar, a very ordinary caterpillar. He looked up one day and saw that the sky was endlessly blue. And all around him flowers bloomed in so many colors he could not count them. Two beautifully colored rainbow lorikeets flew over and landed beside him. Why do you have so many beautiful colors and I do not? Asked the Very Ordinary Caterpillar. "Because we are Rainbow Lorikeets," they laughed, "and you are just a Very Ordinary Caterpillar." Below on the forest floor, a bird with feathers that shimmered like satin was strutting about. "Why do you have feathers that shine like satin and I do not?" asked the Very Ordinary Caterpillar. "Because I am a Satin Bowerbird," he said, bowing proudly, "and you are just a very ordinary Caterpillar." A magnificent orange frill round his neck, a lizard was sunning himself nearby. "Why do you have a magnificent orange frill?" "and I do not?" asked the Very Ordinary Caterpillar. "Because I am a frill lizard," he hissed, flaring his frill, "and you are just a Very Ordinary Caterpillar." Just then a big green frog with bright red eyes came hopping past the Very Ordinary Caterpillar. "Why do you have bright red eyes and I do not?" asked the Very Ordinary Caterpillar. "Because I am a red frog," he croaked, "and you are a very ordinary caterpillar." Creeping out from between the leaves came an orange creature with big white spots. "Why do you have so many big white spots and I do not?" asked the Very Ordinary Caterpillar. "Because I am a Spotted Couscous," he said, oh so slowly, "and you are just a very ordinary caterpillar." I don't have shiny feathers. Or a magnificent orange frill. I don't have red eyes, spots, or rainbow colors. I really am a very ordinary caterpillar, said the Very Ordinary Caterpillar. And with that, he spun himself a cocoon to hide. And that is where he stayed till one day the cocoon began to open And he soon realized that he wasn't a very ordinary caterpillar anymore. His wings shimmered like satin, with more colors than a rainbow. They were edged in orange frill and covered in white spots. And right in the middle of both wings were two bright circles that looked just like eyes. The very ordinary caterpillar was now a very extraordinary butterfly.
