a discussion of where butterflies grow and how they are necessary for the environment
1 book

A vividly illustrated book about the life-cycle of the Black Swallowtail butterfly. Takes you from an egg to caterpillar on to butterfly. What the caterpillar eats and how they build a chrysalis. At the end, there is a page about growing your own butterflies, a great experiment with the children.

33 months - A beautiful book! So glad I grabbed this one at the thrift store. ( )

This may be my new favorite book of all time. I'm constantly looking for insect/animal/nature books to read to my students/have my students read. If I can't physically take them into nature to teach reading, then I'm pretty insistent that they learn nature through reading.

This is an explanatory, nonfiction narrative that follows the life of a freshly hatched caterpillar into its adult, butterfly state.

The illustrations alone offer a wealth of 'imagined reading'. They're full of detail and very realistic. The pictures make for perfect "I Spy.." types of games, or just additional questions about what else is visible, what those insects'/animals' stories may be, etc.

The 'story' alone isn't terribly exciting---unless you're fascinated by bugs, which I am---but I realize not all kids are. That being said, I think this story would be excellent independent reading material for kids who already have an interest in butterflies. Kids who don't already have a strong curiosity about insects may benefit more from hearing the story very expressively read aloud to them. ( )

The book beautifully illustrates the life cycle of the butterfly from start to finish. Teacher info included.

Ages: 5-8

Pierce College Library