Gibbons' usual straightforward approach to nonfiction picture books is here applied to the monarch butterfly. The book is pretty comprehensive for younger audiences, but is missing something that I think is essential to understanding insect ecology, namely, the monarch's role in the ecosystem. Does it pollinate? Is it the chief food of a beneficial species of bird? Does eating milkweed help or harm grasslands in the US and Mexico? Readers of this book will not know. ( )

From egg to caterpillar to butterfly, here is the story of how monarchs live. In her usual clear and concise manner, Gail Gibbons explains the wonder of these beloved and delicate creatures that can fly as high as 2,000 feet and migrate up to 4,000 miles.

Beautiful and full of information. This book is incredibly realistic. That is wonderful! This book follows a Monarch butterfly through it's lifespan. There are lots of really large words and scientific drawings of Monarch Butterflies and their lifespans. I believe this picture book to intended for third graders.

Source: Tacoma Public Library System ( )

This book is about the complete life cycle of butterflies.

I enjoyed this book because of the order of events that the author uses, and also the language that the author uses. The author makes this informational text tell a timeline of events of a monarch butterflies life, this makes the book more personal and interesting to read. She also uses descriptive language to make the book more interesting. For example, the introductory page says, "It's summertime in the north. A breeze stirs the stem of the milkweed plant. The monarch egg is white and shiny." This gives the reader a visual, which is helpful for informational text. The purpose of this book is to inform. ( )