An interesting take on the caterpillar to butterfly story. The characters are sweet and relatable ( though I was a little confused as to why ants call a caterpillar Gramma) and it tells the story of metamorphosis in a child friendly way with extra facts about Gramma Tinkers particular species of caterpillar and moth, in the back of the book.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Wingmaker is an absolutely delightful story about two ants called Leaf and Lou who love visiting their Gramma who is a caterpillar. Gramma is amazing at inventing things to help the insects with everyday tasks and is now making a huge pod to make wings.
Leaf and Lou offer Gramma help to make her wingmaker and have a very shocking surprise (in a good way) when they go to visit her two weeks later.
This book is super cute and such a great way of teaching children of the stages moths and butterflies go through to become what they become.
I loved how this one was about a moth rather than a butterfly too!

This was such a clever take on the process of metamorphosis that is bound to get children interested in caterpillars and butterflies and moths. The illustrations are delightful, too.

Great read-aloud. Pairs well with "The Very Impatient Caterpillar" by Ray Burach.

Gramma Tinker, the ancient 77-day old caterpillar, invents lots of interesting things for the insects of the forest to enjoy. She is about to embark on a great adventure - a metamorphosis. She;s creating a wingmaker, and her two ant friends Leaf and Lou are excited, but concerned about what will become of their Gramma Tinker. This is a great book to use to introduce metamorphosis to young children, and a brief note "About Gramma Tinker" at the end provides additional information about the lappet moth.

This was such a fun book and i loved the real life educational information it gives in the back ground about gramma tinker

Caterpillar- this story tells the tale of Gramma Tinker, a caterpillar. She is struggling to get around in her caterpillar form and has invented the wingmaker to help her transform into a moth.

A lovely look at metamorphosis and some wonderful information about moths at the end of the book.
The illustrations are endearing and the characters stay with you after the story ends.
I felt there was a really great opportunity for the author to delve deeper into emotional literacy when the topic of metamorphosis is discussed between the characters and they feel scared about the unknown, I think it would have been a lovely direction for the book to have taken.
A lovely story with charming illustrations about a species which is often overlooked.

Dave Cameron's Wingmaker is like The Very Hungry Caterpillar, but for older elementary students. With a scientific backing that's explained in the back matter, the story of an old caterpillar's metamorphosis into a moth is told from the perspective of two young ants. The ants watch as Gamma Tinker, the inventive caterpillar in question, studies all types of wings, taking copious notes all the while. Eventually, Gamma Tinker sends the ants away for two weeks while she works on her own project. When they come back, and turn on the light, in flies Tinker, this time a winged moth!

The classic illustrations contribute both funny details and informational content to the equally engaging text. Readers are exposed to the concept of metamorphosis, the social structure of ants, and the basics of investigative research through an easy-to-read fictional text. It would make a great addition to, particularly, science classrooms.

Inside a beautiful forest, live two ants named Leaf and Lou.
They have many friends among the other insects and birds but the one they have grown closer to, is a caterpillar called Gramma Tinker who has a keen eye for invention.

Lately, she has been keeping herself busy with making something out of silk and trying to learn as much about flying as possible.

When the ants pay her another visit, she tells them that she is going to sleep within the silk for two weeks, and when she wakes up, she will be changed.

Two weeks pass, and Tinker hasn't appeared. Leaf and Lou visit her home, worried about her well-being and they find a note. In it, Gramma Tinker has asked them to turn the light on and wait.

To their surprise, a moth storms in the room and reveals herself to be Gramma Tinker. She hugs the ants and she bids them farewell before embarking on her new adventures as a newborn moth, and the story ends with the ants happily watching their friend flying towards the moon.

The story is cute, interesting and beautifully illustrated. The writing and dialogue itself is okay.
Generally speaking, I can see this story both as having a nice message about change and embarking on new adventures and as educational to kids about insects and specifically about Gramma Tinkers.

A cute little story about couple of ants befriending a caterpillar called Gramma Tinker, and how they witness her transformation. A cute story with info at the end about this type of caterpillars, while the art style is really cute and engaging.

I thank NNetgalley for the digital ARC

A clever educational book on the metamorphose of the Gramma Tinker moth. With child friendly illustrations, two friends of Gramma Tinker, Leaf and Lou are getting ready for the big change. Gramma tells her friends the changes that will be made. From a crawly bug to a beautiful moth. Your children will have fun with these new friends and learn some interesting facts.. Gramma learns about other flying creatures to get ready for the big day.

One that I found fascinating was that a caterpillar is 77 days old before they turn into a moth. The number is significant in Christian terms and is confirming to me that God's hand is on all creation. The metamorphosis indicates a renewal which is foundational in the Christian faith. Nothing in the book reflects my thoughts here but regardless it was brought to my mind.

A Special thank you to Kids Can Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.

I am so glad I got the chance to review this book. When I started reading it I straight away thought of ways I could link it into the curriculum. Being a trainee teacher one of my new modules is linking science and DT (design technology) with stories and I have found the perfect book!
The book is based on a caterpillar Gramma Tinker and two young ants, Leaf and Lou, Gramma Tinker is an inventor, inventing tools for friends. Then she begins to invent the Wingmaker 77, which she realises she needs as she is about to change. This is an excellent talking point for children who are looking at life cycles and can get the children thinking about the feeling that the caterpillar may have about change. I like the little twist of at the end, will not say, but I thought it was good to see different insects being used. Throughout the book there are other animals and insect introduced which also links with the science programme of study for KS1.
To go with a good story book there are lovely colourful picture to capture the children's imagination and interest.

Blending a little science, a little magic and a lot of creativity, the Wingmaker shows the journey of one special caterpillar as she becomes a moth. Gramma Tinker is old and wise, but also an inventor who is ready for her next adventure. Her friends Leaf and Lou the ants watch her get old, weave a cocoon, and transform into something new. Although certainly fictional, this book points out a number of interesting scientific thinking skills and blends warm friendships that go beyond mere proximity. I really enjoyed the lovely illustrations and the clever cast of characters as they illuminated metamorphosis in a new way. This book is a little bit difficult for emerging readers, but it would fit right in with a creative science unit for my class.

This story tells of two ants who often visit Gramma Caterpillar. In the story the caterpillar talks of how her life is changing and how each day she has a visitor to learn something new.

I guess it’s not really spoiler alert when talking about a caterpillar and changing... the story has been done tile and time again, especially aimed at ks1 children. So what makes this one different, first off let’s just say there isn’t a ‘beautiful butterfly’. Which is nice because children often learn about the caterpillar to butterfly and the moth is a lesser talked about animal that follows the same path. What I liked most about this book that made me give this book 4 stars instead of three is its potential for use in the classroom. I loved how the caterpillar had little guests come and visit her and she conducted research based on her visitors. She focuses on things like wing span, weight, speed, direction, landing, gliding. I feel this allows the book to come from something that can teach a butterfly life cycle to younger children to something that can encourage investigation, research, scientific experiment and classification with older children. I would use it to get children to look at a big question such as : what makes the best flier? Or how do different animals fly? Doing lots of activities based off of how different animals fly and then getting children to design their own flying animal based on what they have learned!

I have given the book 4 stars because I love reading a book that gives me so many ideas for learning potential and this one is a great starting point to be able to delve even further into learning about a manner of different things!

Such an imaginative story with educational resources at the end to further a scientific discussion. Brilliant!

Wingmaker was a delight. The illustrations were charming. The story was cute as can be, and it was surprisingly informational.

I loved the character names. They were very clever. The main characters are ants who lead a out metamorphosis through another character who starts as a caterpillar and becomes a moth. It was a very cute book and makes the science very easy to understand.

Free ARC from Netgalley.

In Wingmaker we're told the story of how Gramma Caterpillar turns into a moth, as seen through the eyes of two ant friends.

I loved the illustrations in this book. The story was a tad long and informative I think, which makes it hard to be a favorite for children. But it was a good way of explaining metamorphosis to children.

There's an info section after the story, which tells facts about this particular moth. Not fun for kids, but interesting for the parent reading.

A great story that explains how a caterpillar changes into a butterfly/moth.
Told simply in a way that children will understand.
The illustrations were very colourful and pretty too so will appeal to children.

A fun read thats heartwarming and a great way to learn about the process of catepillars changing. The artwork is really nice and I think it would make a great read for kids!

*Thanks Neltgalley and Kids Can Press for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

A pleasantly illustrated story of two ants, whose community benefits greatly from the wacky inventions and knowledge of an elderly caterpillar. A caterpillar who worries the ants by suggesting it will lie in a unique bed for a fortnight then change… Yes, this has turned the lesson about how butterflies and moths pupate into a drama, which isn't too bad an idea. But delaying the inevitable as this does did strike me that however competently this was made, it's not going to be a title that's read often. Three and a half stars.