Caterpillars CANNOT FLY!

Caterpillars CANNOT FLY!

£6.99

Caterpillars CANNOT FLY! is a colourful & fun to read A4 Landscape children’s picture book. 44 pages in total, with short text on each page makes this book an ideal choice for a fun story at any time of the day.

ISBN: 978-1-5272-9857-6Availability: In stock SKU: 978-1-5272-9857-6 Category: Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,
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Description

Caterpillars CANNOT FLY! is the first book from me, Richard Watterson.  Illustrated and written by myself, this delightful rhyming children’s book focuses on Calvin the Caterpillar.  It’s Calvin’s dream to fly even though he doesn’t have wings, but this doesn’t stop him trying, or even his friends helping.  Along his journey he bumps into other creatures who offer ‘words of wisdom’ and advice.  Currently richardwatterson.com is the only website where you can buy Caterpillars CANNOT FLY! by Richard Watterson.  If you would prefer to buy ‘in store’, you can check out my stockists page for your nearest one.  I am continually looking to add to my stockists so please keep checking back.

Rhyming story with character dialogue offering the choice of reading in character voices or not. Also, lots of opportunity in this story to use different expressions and emphasis on words or phrases.

This children’s picture book touches on many emotions and experiences such as: Life, Death, Change, Friendship, Resilience, Happiness, Sadness, Irony, Humour & Honesty.

Will Calvin’s wish to fly come true?

“Calvin was a caterpillar, whose dream it was to fly,
his friends thought this was silly, but encouraged him to try.”

Book Specifications:

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-5272-9857-6

For Age Group: 1 – 8

Size: A4 Landscape

Release Date: August 4th 2021

Printed in Scotland by Highland Print & Design

Number of inner pages (excluding inner cover pages): 40

Total number of pages including covers (inner & outer): 44

Word Count: Cover to Cover – 920 Words

Word Count: Story – 758 Words

A CIP catalogue record for Caterpillars CANNOT FLY! by Richard Watterson is available from the British Library.

 

*Please note, that colour on screen and print never match.  I have made every effort to ensure colour in the book are as vibrant as possible, but they are unlikely to be as vibrant due to screens having a back light.  Also, the illustrations are liable to change with book version changes, modifications and improvements therefore images may vary slightly without prior notice.

 

You can download and colour in your very own Caterpillars CANNOT FLY! characters and scenes by visiting my resources page.  There you will find fun activities easily accessible and free.

If you have an idea for a resource, or fancy a different colouring in project, let me know and I will do my best to upload this for download as quickly as possible.

Additional information

Language

English UK, English USA

19 reviews for Caterpillars CANNOT FLY!

  1. 5 out of 5

    Craig Mackay

    The book is amazing. Honestly think it’s so good. Really inspiring too. Calvin had a dream and he went for it. Shows that you should never give up on your dreams as one day it could come true

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Hi Craig, thanks for letting me know what you think of the book. Reviews are very helpful. All the best. Richard

  2. 5 out of 5

    Debbie

    I purchased this book as heard from a friend that it was quite good. I was not disappointed. Its a lovely book from start to finish. It is a little surprising what happens to the main character, I didn’t expect that, but the story quickly turned into a bit if humour at the end. This was perfect. Most books wrap children up in cotton wool but this story really does convey some important messages in the most delightful way possible especially since we are in the midst of a global pandemic. Well done Richard, I am very excited to read your next installment. Debbie

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Thanks for leaving a review Debbie and I am delighted you enjoyed the book that much that you took the time to let me know. Wishing you all the best. Richard

  3. 5 out of 5

    Jack Philpott

    Amazing book! Love reading it to my 3 month old. And so does my partner. Artwork and story from start to finish are brilliant.

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Thanks for leaving a review Jack, and delighted your little one and partner enjoys the book. All the best. Richard

  4. 5 out of 5

    Amanda

    my daughter (8) loved the book, even her older brother came through mid story for the remainder as he heard it from the other room. My daughter said she can’t wait for the next one! Thoroughly enjoyable for us all Xx

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Thanks for taking the time to leave a review Amanda, I am delighted to hear that you all enjoyed the story. I am working on more books as we speak and am now on the Illustration phase of 2 more stories – 1 is the frog from Caterpillars CANNOT FLY! an the other is about the house on the hill with the Scotland flag. Hopefully both these books will be published next year.

      Thanks again.
      Richard

  5. 5 out of 5

    Lyle

    I got this book for my twin nieces and they loved it! The rhyming makes it so easy to read and kept them invested.

    Can’t wait for the next one.

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Hi Lyle, thanks for the review, its great to hear your niece’s loved it.

      All the best
      Richard

  6. 5 out of 5

    Liz

    I love this book I bought it for my grandchildren I was reading it to the four year old and she loved it. She was tracing the pictures with her. Finger and joining in with caterpillars cannot fly and they never ever will. She thought it was so funny to get there and say it before Granny. When I took her home later she was telling her eight month old brother about it still repeating the caterpillars cannot fly etc. I love the books where the children can join in and of course it rhymes and is so funny. A pleasure for Granny to read too.

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Hi Liz, thanks for the review, and thank you also for the photo of your grand kids enjoying the story. That really made my day and I even shared it on my social media for everyone to enjoy. Thanks. Richard

  7. 5 out of 5

    Michael Stirling

    This book proves that dreams can come true, but also that it’s sometimes best to be careful what we wish for and to make the most of what we already have and celebrate the way we are in the here and now. It feels perfect for a time where kids are bombarded by influencers and consumerism from the earliest age. It’s great to read a positive caterpillar story again after the cake based conflicts of the last year or so. Calvin, the title character, outshines the likes of Colin, Cuthbert, Curly and Clyde and reads like an, updated and ultimately cooler contemporary version of The Hungry Caterpillar classic. This book works for a larger age range. The vibrant art style will excite non readers, and is of a quality and quantity that enables them to follow what’s happening via the images alone. The clever rhyming structure allows for kids to join in with a read-along, finishing sentences and gaining confidence, much like Calvin himself. Combined, the art and word, plus the unexpected ending would reward a new reader also. This story strongly promotes resilience and never giving-up, whether learning to read or learning to fly. Ultimately though, I feel it encourages us laugh and find the humour in every situation as a useful tool to face up to the unpredictability of life. My kids, aged 7 and 9 both enjoyed the story, yelling out the repeating ‘call-out pages’ claiming Calvin will never fly as the story built…but they LOVED the surprise ending! Calvin deserves to fly off the shelves of every bookstore!

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Hi Mike, that’s a fantastic piece of feedback, thank you. It’s certainly an unusual ending in a children’s book that’s for sure and I am soooo glad your kids enjoyed it. In the end I decided to keep the ending, however at times I did consider removing it as not to upset anyone. It is very much my sense of humour and I am glad I kept it the way it was originally. One parent did say that their child would probably cry or be upset about the story, but the next time I bumped into them they told me that their kid loved it. It just goes to show, we don’t always know our kids as well as we think.

      All the best.
      Richard

  8. 5 out of 5

    Graham

    Hi Richard, I am leaving a review not because you asked me to, but because this kids book really is a fantastic piece of ‘entertainment’. I say entertainment instead of writing, simply because its pure entertainment with the kids. They love this book, and I mean love it. The illustrations are bright and bold, the simplicity is on point and you have managed to get the character expressions nailed. The rhyming story is extremely easy to read and so well written, and of course, who could forget the punchline… my children love this. Well done bud, this deserves an Oprah sticker 😛 hurry up and finish the next one!

    • Richard (verified owner)

      haha, Oprah sticker! Thanks for the review Graham, I really appreciate it and its great to hear the kids do enjoy it. All the best.

  9. 5 out of 5

    Sarah Williams

    I purchased this book before xmas for a gift, arrived the next day which was a surprise. Very fast delivery and the book is really good too. My niece loved it so much, and it has been her first choice the last few nights I am told. Excellent!

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Thank you very much for your review, your niece obviously gets her great sense of taste from her auntie 🙂

  10. 5 out of 5

    Susan B

    Received today. What a wonderful read. Kids love the story and the pictures. Thank you.

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Thanks for letting me know Susan. Glad you all enjoy the book. 🙂

  11. 5 out of 5

    Barry Patterson

    Kids thoroughly enjoyed the story, illustrations and colour’s in the book. Rhyming is easy to read and the ending… what can I say. Unexpected and wasn’t sure how kids would react but they laughed so much. A true gem that deserves to be on every bookshelf brightening up every child’s bedtime. I’ve liked your page and am really looking forward to your next book.

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Hi Barry, thats great to hear. It’s great hearing the kiddies had a good giggle. I am hoping to publish 3 books in 2022 however I need to make some sales of Caterpillars CANNOT FLY! to fund the next book print and so forth. By liking my facebook page you will be one of the first to find out when my next book is out, so thank you for that. All the best.

  12. 5 out of 5

    Clair O’Brien

    wonderful read, my 5 year old thoroughly enjoyed the book and colours.

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Thats fantastic to hear, thank you for taking the time to let me know. warmest regards. Richard

  13. 5 out of 5

    Rachel Black

    the moral of the story is – never give up… lovely positive story, pity about the ending 😀 poor little guy.

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Hi Rachel, yes, you could say that the moral of the story is ‘never give up, but keep your wits about you and do not lose focus’. Look on the bright side. He was sooooooooooooooo happy, his dream had come true… 🙂

  14. 5 out of 5

    Lauren Thompson

    unexpected ending, wasnt sure what my little ones would think but when I read it to them they laughed. Anything that make my children laugh like that is good with me. well done, looking forward to your next book 🙂

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Hi Lauren, thats great to hear. It certainly seems to be unexpected but enjoyed at the same time. thank you for taking the time to leave the review. kindest regards. Richard

  15. 5 out of 5

    Steve Simpson

    Hi Richard, Steve Simpson here, popping a review on for you. Honestly loved the book, really easy to read, ryhming was easy to follow and the pictures are spot on too. Love the story, Clair and wee Josh love it too. Absolute hit in the house, and the ending is so unusual for a childrens book but Ces’ La Vie (or howerver you say it 😀 ).

    Brilliant from start to finish, looking forward to your Frog one and the one about who lives on the hill… we are very intrigued to say the least. Anyway, well done.

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Legend, thanks Steve. I am delighted that you all enjoy the book. I will update you with any significant news on any new books and launches etc, but if you like you can like my facebook page for occasional posts about random book stuff that I am working on. All the best, regards to the family.

      Richard

  16. 5 out of 5

    Stephanie Brown

    lovely story, unorthodox ending which brought much laughter in the house. Thoroughly enjoyed.

    • Richard (verified owner)

      I am glad to hear you enjoyed the book, the animation will be launched on August 4th free to watch online. You can see the first minute of the animation here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuQOpO8jCm0

  17. 5 out of 5

    Hygi son

    Greetings from Asia, great book. We are looking forward to the next one. We hope it is ready soon.

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Hello from Scotland. Thank you for your feedback, I am happy you enjoy the book 🙂 . My next book will be out next year. I have been busy creating the Caterpillars CANNOT FLY! animation – you can see the first minute here – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RuQOpO8jCm0

  18. 5 out of 5

    Jamie Day

    really enjoyed reading this to my daughter and one of the top picks from the bookshelf. Looking forward to your next one. Regards. Jamie & Eve

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Thank you Jamie and Eve. Its nice to get some feedback and hear that the book is being enjoyed. All the best.

  19. 5 out of 5

    Bob Munro

    So dark in many ways. In this molly coddled world we live in its refreshing to see we are pro frog. I feel the caterpillar represents something much more meaningful the just an insect. It represents the political landscape in which we live in at the moment suggesting that no matter how hard we try frogs going to get us in the end.

    Ahmen

    Jesus love you

    • Richard (verified owner)

      Thank you for your lovely comment. It is very much appreciated. The frog has his very own story which I am hoping to release next year.

      Kindest Regards.


Add a review

  1. From right at the start I decided that I wanted the illustrations to be simple. I want children to be able to draw the characters themselves so they feel that they too could illustrate a book, or even write it too. The simplicity of Caterpillars CANNOT FLY! works well with the bright vibrant colours, and I decided to focus my drawing attention on facial expressions to convey the character emotion.

Other books inspired by this book with the following characters ‘Spider, Caterpillar, Frog, Snail’ will also be of the same bright colours and simple design.

Notes, scribbles and even a sticky back plastic mini book before I had designed the characters fully!  At this point I was trying to lay out the pages with regards to what text would be on what page, this enabled me to visualise the illustrations on pages and double page spreads.

My decision to print the book in A4 was made when I considered the logistics involved.  Anything larger in height would not fit through letterboxes, and as I intended to distribute myself thought this would make the cost of postage more affordable for buyers via my website.

 

After getting a fuller idea of how my pages would look (in my head), and deciding on A4, I used a binder with clear pouches to organise some sketches.  It was at this point that I was introduced to Ibis Paint X by my daughter.  This was a game changer for me and made the creation of the pages a much more simpler task, and whats more… the app is free!

If I was to give anyone any advice on illustrating your own book… go for it.  You will never be able to convey the image in your head through someone else’s hand.  Ibis Paint X allowed me to effortlessly create, erase and re-create until I got it right.  One of the features I used most was ‘Layers’.  Hiding, moving and copying.  And its even possible to copy/duplicate pages and layers so keeping a backup is simple.  With backup in mind, you can also store a copy of your illustration (with separate or combined layers) to your tablet, or Dropbox.  I found this particularly useful when communicating with the printer and making changes to pages (which I had a fair share of) when reviewing proofs.

Tools used to create this book:
Created with Ibis Paint X (free app) on Samsung Tab S7.

I used Microsoft One Note to sync my notes across all my devices.  Originally, I started using the free notes app on IOS, but as the story grew more complex, and other idea’s developed from this I began to need something a bit more multipurpose.

 

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