An oddly charming, somewhat sad yet hopeful, little caterpillar is our model to feeling worthy in “Are You Ready Little Caterpillar.” He’s an inspiration to us not because he feels special, but precisely because he doesn’t. In this her third book in her series, Alex Mitchell reaches out to that part of us that is striving to improve, struggling to feel worthy, and putting our lives on hold trying to be something other than ourselves. As the words “are you ready” arise repeatedly in the book’s poem, the author prompts us to recognize that just like a tiny little caterpillar is born with the promise of the butterfly, we too are all on an incredible journey of personal transformation.

The author encourages us to be true to who we were born to be, and in her closing commentary she speaks to the little caterpillar in each of us when she writes, “Your destiny is to grow into something beautiful and you have been ready for this since the day you were born.” This poem picture book’s creative spirit, style, and timeless message are alluring to all ages. All the illustrations are reproduced from the artist’s hand-painted originals.