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For Joan Ellet Hogge, The Butterfly’s Gift is the culmination of a childhood dream. A recognized watercolorist, Joan describes painting as “a spiritual experience which allows me to express the deep feelings about the beauty and humor I see in life.”

She earned a B.A. in English and an M.A. in writing and taught writing and English while earning certification as an Academic Language Therapist at SMU in Dallas. She remediated reading, spelling and writing in children and adults for many years.

In 1999, she retired and renewed her passion with painting to follow her dream. She studied painting with many nationally known artists, and wrote book reviews for a local newspaper. Her painting, WILDFLOWER POTPOURRI, won the 1999 Richardson Wildflower! poster contest.

Her paintings have been juried into many shows and hang in The Coutts Memorial Museum of Art. The Richardson Library, Northanven United Methodist Church, Nortel and other corporate offices, as well as many private collections.

Having established herself as an artist, Joan’s goal is now to concentrate on her writing and publishing. She has two children’s books written and another in process which she hopes to illustrate, fulfilling her childhood dream of painting stories with words and watercolor.

Creativity! That is what The Butterfly’s Gift celebrates and encourages in its readers. A beautiful story of the stages in a Monarch’s development, it is certain to appeal to the curiosity and creativity of eight to twelve year olds. This book also includes a Sketchbook with steps for drawing and painting a butterfly. Included, are drawing pages, which encourage a child to look closely and learn about other creatures in the world.”

This book uses colorful watercolor illustrations, combined with poetic rhythm, to weave a tale of the transformation of a chubby worm to a beautiful butterfly. The worm spends its formative first days eating constantly and growing rapidly. Then it hibernates alone in its chrysalis. During this time, it changes and grows and discovers its true self. When a butterfly emerges from its crystalline egg, it shares its secret: life is about touching others in your own creative, colorful way.

An English teacher and Academic Language Therapist, as well as an artist, Joan Hogge understands the importance of art in helping a child develop and appreciate their own unique gifts. Not only does this book beautifully describe the stages of the Butterfly’s development, but it provides the sketch book as a “safe Chrysalis” for a child to begin to explore and connect with their own imagination and creativity.

Thus, the chubby worm’s creative transformation can be an inspiration for children to develop their creative wings and touch the world in their own beautiful way.

“Author and Artist Joan Ellet Hogge Presents the Importance of Change through the Lifecycle of Butterflies, in Her book “The Butterfly’s Gift”

Joan Ellet Hogge presents a wonderful life lesson through a beautifully illustrated book. In “The Butterfly’s Gift,” children and adults are introduced to the beauty of transformation through the life cycle of a butterfly.

Joan is a recognized watercolorist and for her, painting is a spiritual experience that allows her to see the beauty and humor in life. She personally painted the illustrations inside the book which makes the book an expression of two of her greatest passions—painting and writing.

The book will lead the readers to follow the life of a magnificent species of butterfly—the Monarch butterfly, and the changes it has to go through to achieve its beauty. Before it grows its wings, a butterfly starts out as an egg. Eventually, it breaks free from its shell and learns to crawl and eats as a caterpillar. When it stores enough food, it encases itself in a cocoon and waits for the day when it grows wings and learns to fly up in the air. This is a process called metamorphosis.

The beautiful story teaches children to be patient when it comes to processes and to accept changes as an important part of life. The colorful illustrations make the book aesthetically appealing especially to children because of its vibrant colors. Joan also added instructional material on how readers can easily draw their Monarch butterfly, making it interactive and more enjoyable for children.

Children and adults alike can learn a lot from this book. We can reflect on how much change we can achieve, just like how caterpillars bloom into magnificent butterflies.”

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