Glitter

Were you as bummed as we were when Sal dumped glitter into Billy's bat cave diorama? And were you as relieved as us when Papa came up with a creative solution? Seriously, that glitter becomes a pretty big deal.

So here's how it goes: When Sal first adds glitter to her big bro's diorama, she thinks she's giving him the best fairy magic in the world. And who can blame her? But Billy thinks the glitter is the worst thing to happen to him since that lump on his head.

Happily, Billy is able to turn his frown upside-down with a wee bit of help from his dad. Yep, his creative pops says that glitter actually makes the bat cave even cooler because now it looks like it's filled with mica, which is a real mineral. So problem solved.

With his big turnaround, Billy's attitude about glitter in his diorama goes from this:

"She ruined my diorama. There's glitter everywhere. It's sticking to my bats and it's all over my cave. It looks like a girl made it." (2.3.43)

To this:

When it was his turn, Billy shook his diorama to demonstrate how his bat could fly, and he described his habitat, explaining how he'd used glitter to look like mica. He didn't mention Sal or fairies. He tried to remember Papa's words. He said, "Mica sparkles like jewels. It is a mineral in caves. It's like glitter." (2.4.2)

Oh yes, that's Billy proudly telling his classmates about glitter because he realizes that it's awesome. Can you hear the confidence in Billy's voice? He explains every detail just like his dad, and nails that presentation. All thanks to glitter.

So the glitter lets us know that it's possible for a situation to go from sour to sweet if we just change our attitude. What else do you think the glitter might symbolize?