Butterfly Sea

Written by Cynthia Mackey

Illustrated by Marie-Laure Couët

Tielmour Press

978-1-998426-22-5

42 pp.

Ages 4–8

January 2026

 

When a child takes her camera and heads out to photograph butterflies, she sees more than might be expected.

From Butterfly Sea, written by Cynthia Mackey, illustrated by Marie-Laure Couët

It's early morning. With a sea and grass and flowers nearby, there is lots to engage this little girl and her baby sister. While she patiently and quietly situates herself to watch for butterflies, the toddler becomes a side show of activity. But the toddler's play becomes visual poetry with every new permutation. She's a mermaid asking for ice cream when her teal blanket gets knotted into a tail, and then a pirate, and a shark. And while her older sister is tasked with watching her, ensuring she is safe and fed, the photographer does not lose focus.

From Butterfly Sea, written by Cynthia Mackey, illustrated by Marie-Laure Couët

Always mindful of her purpose, the young photographer watches and sees. But she sees with more than her eyes. She sees with her heart and her imagination. When the toddler appears swinging a branch, the photographer sees a pirate searching for treasure. She will "hand her maps and whisper golden secrets, promising riches and jewels on faraway beaches." (pg. 13)

From Butterfly Sea, written by Cynthia Mackey, illustrated by Marie-Laure Couët

With time and patience and dedication to both caregiving and observation, the child photographer gets what she'd waited for and enjoys a visual display for all the senses.

From Butterfly Sea, written by Cynthia Mackey, illustrated by Marie-Laure Couët

At first glance, the story of Butterfly Sea is a simple one of two children who've gone out to play, one hopeful of photographing butterflies. But the story is so much richer because Cynthia Mackey tells it with imagery and imagination that takes a simple story to one of pirates and sharks, kaleidoscopes and flowers. And it's told with lyricism that makes a simple outing into something magical.

 

The credits tell us that Marie-Laure Couët's art was created digitally, and I'm astonished as the textures of paper and paint suggests watercolour. How Marie-Laure Couët was able to achieve the subtle nuance of watercolour on textured paper, perfect for an adventure into nature, is beyond me. But the texture of that digital art mirrors the organic nature of the seaside and the meadows and everything else in between, and there is a sweetness there that reflects the relationship both between children and between children and nature.

 

This is the second book written by Cynthia Mackey that I have reviewed—If a Bumblebee Lands on Your Toe (2025) was the first—and I'm beginning to sense a theme. It might be the bewitching quality of insects, all around us but never really observed, or the power of the natural world to invigorate our lives, or the connection between species, or . . . maybe it's all of the above and none of the above. Maybe it's just the luxury of children at play, each in their own way, but told through the lens of fascination with observation.