Published: 2022
Author: Oleksandr Shatokhin
Illustrator: Oleksandr Shatokhin
Genres: Picture Books Without Words, Childrens, War, Art, Fiction, Grief, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, International
Audience (Grade Levels): Juvenile / Pre-K to Grade 4
Number of Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5 Stars)
Goodreads Link: Yellow Butterfly
Triggers: War, Terrorism, Violence, PTSD, Fear
Review By: Patricia Gabello
Publisher’s Summary:
A wordless picture book portrayal of war through the eyes of a young girl who finds hope in the symbolism of yellow butterflies against the background of a pure blue sky. Using the colors of his national flag, Oleksandr Shatokhin has created a deeply emotional response to the conflict in Ukraine and provided a narrative full of powerful visual metaphors for readers to consider as they travel from the devastating effects of war to a place of hope for peace and the future.
Review:
This school year I had two Ukrainian refugees in my first-grade classroom. The images in this book are a representation of the many emotions they expressed throughout our time together. There was fear, loss and confusion. There was also hope, love and happy memories. Shatokhin illustrates this dynamic with images of barbed wire, blast zones and spiders being transformed into parks, playards and butterflies. One image that moved me especially was the one of the ICBM transforming into a kitten in a tree. One of my boys wrote frequently of leaving his beloved cat behind in his homeland. In the end the barbed wire dissolves into yellow butterflies, which settle beneath a clear blue sky and create the Ukrainian flag.
If I were to use this book in the classroom it would be necessary to acknowledge the triggers of trauma and war before even starting the story. As a book without words it would be important to provide spoken context for these powerful and dramatic illustrations. It’s normal that students may feel scared or uncomfortable or even upset. Most importantly the reader must ensure that the students leave the story feeling hopeful for a new beginning with the promise of peace in the Ukraine.
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- Social Studies & Current Events: Provides a highly accessible, deeply human entry point for discussing the war in Ukraine, the global refugee crisis, and the concept of national sovereignty and identity using the colors and symbolism of the Ukrainian flag.
- Art & Visual Literacy: An incredible text for examining visual metaphors, juxtaposition, and color theory in wordless storytelling—specifically analyzing how bleak wartime imagery (barbed wire, blast zones, ICBMs) morphs into symbols of life and peace (butterflies, parks, a kitten).
- Social Emotional Learning (SEL) & Trauma-Informed Care: Serves as a profound tool for exploring complex emotions like displacement, fear, grief, and PTSD, while teaching strategies for cultivating resilience, hope, and community processing after trauma.
Extension Activity / Library Application:
- Wordless Visual Metaphor Mapping: Have students select one of the transformative visual spreads from the book (such as the barbed wire dissolving into butterflies or the missile transforming into a kitten). Ask them to write a companion paragraph or poem describing the hidden “silent dialogue” of the scene, explaining how the artist communicates a shift from fear to hope without text.
- “Wings of Hope” Collaborative Flag Mural: Guided by the book’s final imagery where yellow butterflies meet a blue sky to form the Ukrainian flag, host a library art activity. Have students cut out and color their own yellow paper butterflies inscribed with personal messages of peace, hope, or welcoming thoughts for refugees, arranging them collectively against a blue backdrop.
Diversity & Representation:
This international ownvoices picture book offers crucial, authentic cultural representation regarding the lived contemporary trauma of Ukrainian children. By eschewing words, Shatokhin creates a universally accessible language that strips away linguistic barriers for English Language Learners (ELL) and refugees. It intentionally honors the resilience of the Ukrainian spirit, providing an equitable space in children’s literature for global displacement stories to be processed with dignity.
Readalikes:
- They Called Us Enemy by George Takei
- The Arrival by Shaun Tan
- Stormy Seas: Stories of Young Boat Refugees by Mary Beth Leatherdale
