"Kendi and Yangni collaborate to introduce young children to the African American folklore tradition and to Hurston's importance within that tradition." -The Horn Book A First Folktale from the creators of Magnolia Flower, Zora Neale Hurston and Ibram X. Kendi, about the origin of butterflies. The Creator wuz all finished and thru makin' de world. But soon, the Creator finds themselves flying through the sky, making gorgeous butterflies of every color, shape, and size. Find out why butterflies were made in Zora Neale Hurston's stunning and layered African American folktale retold by #1 New York Times bestselling and National Book Award-winning author Ibram X. Kendi and illustrated by Kah Yangni. This accessible and sizable board book is perfect for introducing the youngest of readers to the beauty of Hurston's storytelling and will spark curiosity in children about how things in our world came to be. Editorial Reviews [T]he artwork creates an eye-catching collage of images in every spread... Kendi expertly distills this word-of-mouth tale for young readers... An old tale is given fresh new life. - Kirkus Reviews "This will dance off the shelves by itself, but works for Black History Month, spring roundups, highlighting poems, or just a look at the lyrical." - School Library Journal (starred review) "Kendi and Yangni collaborate to introduce young children to the African American folklore tradition and to Hurston's importance within that tradition." - Horn Book Magazine - From the Publisher *03/01/2023 PreS-K--This adaptation by Kendi is poetic, vigilant, and gives the original words stature by amplifying the high notes for very young children. Caregivers will delight in the cadence, and babies in the colors that Yangni splashes across every page in a piece of folklore that threads readers from a genesis of sorts to an urban landscape full of flutter-byes. People of color, a world of verdant hues, rejoice in Hurston's butterfly-laden universe. Back matter explains this story's origins, a bit about Ebonics, and other historical notes to delight adults perusing this. VERDICT This will dance off the shelves by itself, but works for Black History Month, spring roundups, highlighting poems, or just a look at the lyrical. - School Library Journal 2022-12-24 Following Magnolia Flower (2022), Kendi retells another work by Hurston, this time a tale of how butterflies were created, from her folktale anthology Mules and Men. The Creator--a Black, childlike, winged person--stares upon a newly created Earth. Bored, the Creator begins to make flowers and plants, which grow every which way. However, before the Creator's work is finished, the flowers complain of being lonely. So the Creator grabs their shears and snips pieces off everything--the sky, animals, plants, and more. As the scraps fly through the skies, the Creator calls them "flutter-bys," but they are misheard, and the people refer to them as butterflies instead. And so we have butterflies, which come in various colors and sizes. Rendered in acrylic paint, pencil, pastel, and Adobe Photoshop, the artwork creates an eye-catching collage of images in every spread. Just as folktales are greatly exaggerated, so are Yangni's brightly colored butterflies and flowers that flow throughout, similar to the tale's narration. Kendi expertly distills this word-of-mouth tale for young readers with direct quotes from Hurston's book and uses the African American vernacular, as Hurston did. His author's note gives readers the backstory regarding how the tale was told to Hurston. (This book was reviewed digitally.) An old tale is given fresh new life. (Board book. 3-7) - Kirkus Reviews