The Flying Caterpillar

The Flying Caterpillar is a fun story about Cole the caterpillar. He tries new things but doesn't have much luck. Until, one day he wakes up to realize he's more than he thought he ever could be.

Michael Gray's memoir begins "When I was two years old I drowned" in the frigid waters of Lake Ontario. It goes on to reflect upon the life he has lived and the opportunities he has been given since that fateful day. Time soon emerges as a character in his story. A few milestones along the way have been his attendance at a transformative six-month retreat at the Nyingma Institute in Berkeley and when, at the age of 48, he added "Husband & Father" to his resume. Eventually his journey led him to Albuquerque, New Mexico where in the early 90's, together with a friend who has ALS, he co-founded "Friends in Time," a non-profit that serves people with the neuromuscular diseases of MS & ALS. Michael has published short stories, poetry, and articles in the Antigonish and Wascana Reviews, in Gesar magazine, and in the "Time, Space, Knowledge" Perspectives volume, A New Way of Being.

Sherman is a sweet, lighthearted little caterpillar with a big dream. Sherman dreams of flying. Deep down in his big heart, Sherman knows hes meant to fly even though he has no wings and his rows of legs are made only for walking. As he looks upward toward the sky one day, he catches a glimpse of a beautiful monarch butterfly and thinks to himself, Thats going to be me someday. But the other bugs are sure that Sherman is out of his mind. How could a chubby, crawling caterpillar ever leave the ground and fly? They tease and ridicule poor Sherman relentlessly, saying anything they can to try to dash his precious dream. But Sherman just might be tougher than any of them think. Despite the unkindness of his peers, Sherman tries to hold on to his dream of flying. Intending to prove them all wrong, Sherman climbs high into the branches of a very tall tree one sleepless night. Will Shermans faith be enough to help him fly? Or could he be forgetting something?

One morning as I was walking in my backyard, I saw a little caterpillar on a leaf. I noticed something strange; it was standing on its hind legs, looking up into the sky. ÒHow odd, Ó I thought, then, I looked up and saw birds flying over head and other flying insects. In that moment I realized this; that the caterpillar had a desire to fly, but in itÕs current state it could only dream. But that is only the BeginningÉ

Caterpillar wants to fly like Butterfly, Bumblebee, and Sparrow, and Butterfly thinks his wish may come true.

Peg the caterpillar is a sweet little bug who loves playing with her friends. She wants to be included in the other bugs playtime, but feels left out when all of her friends are flying. The question, "Can a Caterpillar Fly?" bridges the gap between caterpillars and butterflies, in hopes that the young reader can understand how one becomes the other. On a more meaningful level, this book is also about wishing for something you think cannot happen, but that in reality will come around with patience and time! The idea of not fitting in is one that the young reader can relate to, and this book is meant to help children feel better about their own lives.

Dreams make life worth living, and the caterpillar in our story dreams of flying, even though he doesn't know what that means. Although he is happy with his existence, he feels that there might be more to life than crawling along the branches. In his dreams in- side his chrysalis, the caterpillar experiences flight. When he wakes up, he finds out his dreams were true, and there is more to his life than he knew! He accepts the metamorphosis from caterpillar to butter- fly gracefully, and he is grateful for all his experiences, as well as all the joys the future holds.

Sherman is a sweet, lighthearted little caterpillar with a big dream. Sherman dreams of flying. Deep down in his big heart, Sherman knows he's meant to fly even though he has no wings and his rows of legs are made only for walking. As he looks upward toward the sky one day, he catches a glimpse of a beautiful monarch butterfly and thinks to himself, "That's going to be me someday." But the other bugs are sure that Sherman is out of his mind. How could a chubby, crawling caterpillar ever leave the ground and fly? They tease and ridicule poor Sherman relentlessly, saying anything they can to try to dash his precious dream. But Sherman just might be tougher than any of them think. Despite the unkindness of his peers, Sherman tries to hold on to his dream of flying. Intending to prove them all wrong, Sherman climbs high into the branches of a very tall tree one sleepless night. Will Sherman's faith be enough to help him fly? Or could he be forgetting something?