Caterpillar Summer

The children’s pictures books that Mom authors and illustrates feature a cartoon-like Chicken and Caterpillar. The characters’ names are modeled after the nicknames of Cat and Henry (“Chicken”), and the plots of the books are drawn from real events that have happened to them. While Cat admires the books as well, Chicken especially delights in them, finding them to be a familiar source of comfort. He especially enjoys the way in which the books’ conflicts tend to resolve themselves in Chicken’s favor. Chicken is given Cat’s cookie after his breaks; Cat gives up her new hat when Chicken becomes cold; Chicken is comforted after a misunderstanding about his wish to see trains.

The way in which Mom, Cat, and Chicken regard the characters in the book is reflective of the ways each views the dynamics and roles in their family. Chicken relies on Cat to sacrifice her wishes and defer to him. Cat feels accountable for Chicken’s wellbeing and emotional state. Mom trusts Cat to care for Chicken and to keep him safe. However, as Cat grows increasingly stifled by Chicken’s reliance on her, she grows to resent the picture books to a degree. At the end of the novel, she expresses her desire to no longer be addressed by the nickname “Caterpillar.