Review by Frank Plowright

Caitlin Rose Boyle begins Frankie and the Curious Cocoon Quest with a surprise, at least for readers who’ve read her previous Frankie books, the last of which was Frankie and the Beastly Bog Song. It turns out that what most would have presumed was an eccentrically drawn dog exactly fitting Frankie’s world is in fact not a dog at all. All this time Tuna has been a large wooly bear caterpillar, and now the time has come for her to build a cocoon.

As with previous Frankie offerings, Boyle is extremely good at disguising what’s in fact an educational book via Frankie’s exuberant character and willingness to learn. Her mother’s speciality is insects, so what are to some inherently yucky are explained with compassion. While Frankie frets about Tuna she learns how ladybirds and dragonflies transform from crawling insects into those capable of flight.

After three books the individuality of Boyle’s art no longer seems so weird, and the busy and cheerful nature transmits from the start. Distinctive colour choices remain unusual, yet also now very much defining Frankie’s world.

There’s a sensitivity and nuance about the text as transformations to come fall under discussion. Frankie’s mother brings up the possibility of her not always remaining as she is now, which prompts a creative burst of Frankie imagining how things might be for her.

Frankie once again charms the insects from their cocoons in educating younger readers and perhaps encouraging them to see the world differently. How good is that?