Kokopelli & the Butterfly

Recently, I had the good fortune to attend a book reading of a children's book entitled KOKOPELLI & THE BUTTERFLY. (...) In this case, the story -teller was the author himself, Michael Sterns, whose animated reading of his book mesmerized adults and children alike.(...) First Nation's legendary character, KOKOPELLI, carries the torch of love, friendship and compassion from town to town until he is invited to view the prized possession of a Grand Chief: a rainbow colored butterfly in a prison with bars of bone. With his magical powers, KOKOPELLI liberates the dying butterfly causing an amazing transformation. The exquisite illustrations executed in line drawings by Joseph V. Cioffi and special effects by Gayle Deal magically capture the love of Mother Earth by America's First People. As a footnote, it should be noted that the paintings are somewhat similar to the Pocahontas drawings, as the artists had worked at one time for Disney Studios. The sides of the pictures are alternated so that if there is more than one child involved they may share equally in the reading experience, as Michael Sterns demonstrated so well during his lively performance. Michael Sterns enchants his readership with his idealistic dreams of love, hope and compassion for all of mankind. The concepts of peace, conflict management, respect for Mother Earth and interpersonal relations are developed briefly in the upbeat narrative. Just enough to get children's imaginations fired up. I had reservations about the wisdom of condensing so many subjects together in all their complexities in 62 illustrated pages of a fairy tale. However, KOKOPELLI & THE BUTTERFLY, a clearly written primer for young readers, went a long way towards assuaging my doubts. Michael Sterns's text is lively, direct and succeeds in explaining the basic dreams of love of mankind and the preservation of Mother Earth. The book is not only a good bedtime read, but also teachers will have at their disposal a useful tool in order to initiate discussions about pollution love and respect for Mother Earth. No doubt, KOKOPELLI & THE BUTTERFLY will act as an impetus in fueling the fire of imagination in creative writing and art for young and old alike; a pleasant change from the clicking fingers of video games, Internet and Television. Conversing with author Michael Sterns after his performance, I was excited to learn that he is preparing another KOKOPELLI adventure. Stay tuned! (...)Lily Azerad-Goldman reviewer for Bookpleasures.

I am a 16-year-old Kokopelli fanatic, and while this book tells a story different from the hunchbacked fluteplayer's that we're used to, it is still amazing. Full of beautiful lessons about love, respect, nature, harmony, kindness, etc., it tells the tale of Kokopelli and how he finds the woman he loves.

My daughter and I love to read, and now we have a new favorite book! Kokopelli and the Butterfly is a beautiful story for both children and adults. The pictures are amazing and the writing brings you right into the story. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who appreciates family time and wants to encourage reading at home! The book is sized so your child can sit in your lap and hold half of the book while the parent holds the other half. Really neat!

What a wonderful book! The dedication of this book to strengthening the bond between parent and child and to promoting book reading in this day of MTV and violent video games make _Kokopelli & The Butterfly_ a true winner! But that's not all! It has a beautiful story with some of the most colorful, eye-appealing illustrations I have ever seen! The pictures will keep a child's attention now and the story of love, nature and goodness will stay with the reader forever. Bravo! This book should be in the hands of every child.