This is Butterwalk. He was a real monarch butterfly. When he came out of his chrysalis, something had gone wrong. His wings were stuck together, and they never opened. He was never able to fly.
He lived with our family for two weeks, a cold winter in the South Island of New Zealand. My daughter Anaia, aged 13, looked after him. She kept him company and stayed close so that he wouldn't have to do any of it alone.
He shouldn't have lasted. He went days without food. He survived two frosts out in the garden. Twice we went out to collect his little body, certain he was gone. And twice he was still there, legs moving slowly, quietly refusing to quit.
When his strength came back, he charged around absolutely loving life! He climbed out of his container, up the leaves, and then onto our bookshelf. He leapt off it, probably thinking that this time he could fly.
He was only with us a short while. But he taught us something we'll hold onto for ever. No matter how rough the hand you're dealt, dig deep, keep going, and make the most of the days you get.
Why there's going to be a book
When Butterwalk died, I wrote about him. I didn't expect anything to come of it. But within 24 hours, over three million people had read the story of a butterfly who couldn't fly. A lot of them needed to hear it. Many told us they saw themselves in him.
So many of the readers asked if we could turn this into a book, so we've decided to write one to honour his life. Anaia and I will write it together.
