Life Story of a Butterfly

Gr 2–4—This series thoroughly describes and visually portrays the life cycles of these creatures. The books all follow the same pattern, introducing the animal and the life cycle concept before covering the metamorphic stages, adulthood, mating, and, finally, beginning the cycle all over again. Habitats, predators, and diet are introduced. Though the titles attempt to generalize, Butterfly uses the Monarch in most examples and mentions other butterflies only occasionally. Frog and Salamander show a variety of species, but Ladybug fails to mention that it portrays more than one species. Appropriate scientific vocabulary is used, including referring to the tadpole as a frog's larva. The titles end with a photo-flowchart illustrating the entire process. Pictures are close-up and vivid. Compare Frog to Frog, from Creative Education's "Grow with Me" series (2013)or Frog (2003) from DK's "Watch Me Grow" series. The Life Cycle of a Ladybug (Bellwether, 2010) is a close match to Ladybug. These titles will fit nicely into most science curriculums.