Backyard Food Chain II by Elizabeth Sanford

For this hybrid flag/tunnel book, I chose to revisit the mostly unseen battles for survival that continually enfold in the woods behind my house; the act of turning the pages changes the story by altering the main character. The first page features a spicebush swallowtail caterpillar feasting on sassafras; it strikes a defensive pose by rearing up to prominently display its eyespots. On the next page, a nuthatch creeps down a branch while looking for a protein-rich meal to feed its young. Page 3 introduces a zebra swallowtail caterpillar munching on pawpaw leaves; since this diet makes it unappetizing to birds, the tufted titmouse on the final page is likely to look elsewhere for a meal. The backs of the bottom flags contain a linked chain of words; each word in the chain may be coupled with the one before and after to form common expressions, such as "back story" or "story book". Each letter of each word is encased in a green circle, echoing the eggs of these butterflies.