Butterfly: Songs & Books
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How to Raise Monarch Butterflies
by Carol Pasternak
Children love watching the metamorphosis process of a butterfly and this book not only shows the process in beautiful images, but teaches readers how you can see the process for yourself at home! This book can help you find caterpillar eggs, feed caterpillars, and care for these amazing creatures.
After reading this book, take on the challenge of finding caterpillar eggs and raising the caterpillars into butterflies! Enjoy the process!
A Butterfly is Patient by Diana Hutts Aston
Intricate and vivid paintings bring butterflies to life in this book. The book follows the title’s pattern of “A butterfly is…” to poetically describe the butterfly’s life cycle and introduces the reader to many different butterfly species.
After reading this book: bring the book with you on a butterfly discovery journey whether it be on a hike, outside your home, in a garden, or indoor sanctuary. See how many different butterfly species you can find from the book. For a more structured activity, research the butterflies typically found in your area and turn create a butterfly scavenger hunt for children.
Gotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swope
Follow along on an adorable monarch caterpillar’s amazing journey traveling thousands of miles from the US to Mexico. It is an entertaining fictional story that follows the nonfictional life cycle of the monarch butterfly. The book is mesmerizing with its catchy and repetitive text. Children will likely be chanting along with the book after the first reading.
After reading this book, explore the migration of the monarch butterfly. Depending on your child’s age, delve into map reading as you track migration, calculate distance they travel and even the speed of the butterflies. Look into tracking butterflies, and research joining the butterfly highway.
The Girl Who Drew Butterflies by Joyce Sidman
This is a nonfiction biography of the entomologist, Maria Sibylla Merian, one of the first naturalists to observe live insects (& document metamorphosis!). Maria’s original paintings of insects are entwined with history and this is a powerful narrative of a woman navigating the mid 16th century world of the male dominated art and science fields.
After reading this book: go outside and practice observational drawings/paintings of insects, just as Maria did many years ago. Observational drawing is quietly observing all the details of a subject and then recreating your observations through art.
Senorita Mariposa by Ben Gundersheimer
is another wonderful tale of a monarch butterfly’s incredible migration. This story flows wonderfully through rhyme in both English and Spanish intertwining the butterfly’s cross country journey perfectly.
After reading this story: create finger puppets with your children and help the children practice words from the book in both languages.
La Mariposa by Francisco Jimenz
This touching book is the story of a young immigrant boy who uses butterflies to make sense of the world around him and connect to his new class at school. This is a fantastic teaching tool to help children learn empathy, patience, acceptance, and kindness towards peers who are different from themselves.
After reading this book, have a discussion about Francisco’s feelings throughout the book. Have your children try to decipher a new language, so they can feel the frustration Francisco felt.
Ten Magic Butterflies by Danica McKellar
This is a fantastical tale of a fairy turning flowers into butterflies using mathematics concepts. Children will learn the math building block of making base 10 in a fun and magical way. This is a crucial skill for early learners!
After reading this book, go outside and use flowers like the fairy in the story to create sums to 10.
Butterfly Park by Elly Mackay
Butterfly Park is truly captivating with it’s radiant cut-out illustrations. It follows a young girl’s journey into a new community. The girl brings the community together as they create a lively park for butterflies. During the story the reader discovers what attracts butterflies.
After reading this book, create your own butterfly garden (can be as small as one pot or as big as a whole park!) to attract butterflies close to your home.
Sung to the tune of “Skip to my Lou”
