A Firefly Named Torchy

Author/Illustrator: Bernard Waber
Year: 1970
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company
Pages: 29
Reading Level: Beginning Reader (ages 4-8)

Awards: 1971 Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor

Genre: Picture Book
Location: The edge of the woods
Time Period: Present Day (1970)

Plot: Torchy the Firefly wants to join his friends in twinkling, glowing, flashing, and sending secret messages. But when he turns on his light, it's so bright that it feels like day. The day animals wake up, the night animals hide, and the flowers open up. Everyone complains that Torchy's light is too bright. Sad and dejected, Torchy wanders off on his own to figure out what the problem is. SPOILER! When Torchy sees the lights of a big city, he discovers that there are many different kinds of light. Torchy learns that his light is special and unique, and he decides that he shouldn't hide it just because it's different.

Comments: I originally found this book while I was looking for non-fiction books about fireflies, but the book's title and the lovely 1960's font (as seen here) made me want to read it. Sometimes you can judge a book by its cover.

Torchy is a cute little firefly, and the message of the book is a great one for kids. As with most picture books, the artwork tells most of the story on its own, with night-black pages splashed with thick, muted colors. The excitement of the city is show with big, bold strokes and bright colors. The text of the story is amusing too. A lot of repetition is involved, with Torchy and the lights around him twinkling and glowing and flashing. Perhaps a better example of this, though is the part where Torchy wakes up all of the forest animals and they all have the same reaction. The flow of the story is simple, but the repetition would make it a good one for both group and individual enjoyment.

Themes: Fireflies, Self-Confidence