Meet the Author
Julie Conner has been a special education teacher for eighteen years. She has taught students at various age/grade levels with a wide range of abilities, in multiple school settings, including public schools, a psychiatric care facility, and a school for the deaf and the blind. She has received national recognition from the Council of Schools and Services for the Blind as an Outstanding Teacher of Students who are Blind/Multiply Impaired. Julie lives with her husband and their two children.
It’s My Time to Fly: The Story of Caterpillar Number Five was inspired by a butterfly kit gifted to her son. In observing the caterpillars, Julie was amazed to notice that one caterpillar was developing exactly one day later than the others—doing things in his own time, as she had observed was often necessary for her own students and children. She truly hopes this book will be an inspiration to others, imparting the message that it is okay for metamorphosis to take place at an individual pace!
Details
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback
Pages: 32
ISBN HC: 978-1-951565-83-1
ISBN PB: 978-1-951565-84-8
Release Date: 3/5/2021
Meet the Illustrator
Emily Row is an illustrator and garden educator living in the Shenandoah Valley. Her work aims to highlight the beauty in everyday life and objects. Themes of nature and wit are prominent in her illustrations, which are carefully inked or digitally rendered. Her work can be found in local shops around Staunton, Virginia, as well as her online store.
Praise
“This beautifully illustrated little book reminds children and their grownups that we aren’t all the same, and that’s okay. With a little boost from friends and some patience, Caterpillar Number Five makes their own way, on their own time.” —Katja Rowell MD, feeding specialist, and author of Helping Your Child with Extreme Picky Eating
“It’s My Time to Fly represents everything wonderful about children’s books. It’s fun. It’s perfectly paced. It reminds of an important truth: not everyone takes the same path, and that’s okay. Julie has done a wonderful job telling this story.” —Chris Lassiter, author, journalist, freelance writer
“The character Caterpillar Number Five reinforces a singular truth that every parent or teacher of a child with special needs must finally embrace: that to love that child fully means to meet them where they are each day in their journey with the message, ‘I am here . . . right beside you, lifting you up, clearing the path . . . trusting that whatever pace you take on this journey is the right one for you.’ Living in that space turns acceptance to celebration and resolution to joy. It is what every child deserves from us.” —Christine Jones, parent, educator, child advocate
“A beautiful story of resilience and triumph at your own pace.” —Leslie Schilling, MA, RAN, dietician, and author of Born to Eat
