In honor of National Moth Week and STEM Friday, let’s take a look at some exciting children’s books about moths and butterflies.
Children’s Science and Nature Books:
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Night Life of the Yucca: The Story of a Flower and a Moth by Katherine B. Hauth and illustrated by Kay Sather An older book which may be hard to find, but the story of the relationship between the yucca and the yucca moth is fascinating. See Gardening for Moths for an introduction to yucca moths. |
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Luna Moths: Masters of Change (Insect World) by Sandra Markle Reading level: Ages 7 and up |
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A Luna Moth’s Life (Nature Upclose) by John Himmelman
Reading level: Ages 5 and up |
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Crinkleroot’s Guide to Knowing Butterflies and Moths by Jim Arnosky Ages: 5-8 |
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DK Eyewitness Books: Butterfly and Moth by Paul Whalley Reading level: Ages 8 and up Hardcover: 72 pages Publisher: DK Publishing (2012) |
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A Butterfly Is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston and illustrated by Sylvia Long
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Nic Bishop: Butterflies and Moths by Nic Bishop Reading level: Ages 4 and up Nic Bishop is an award-winning photographer and his books are a visual treat. |
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The Family Butterfly Book by Rick Mikula Reading level: Gr 5 up Very popular book with projects and activities to do |
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What’s the Difference Between a Butterfly and a Moth? (What’s the Difference? (Capstone)) by Robin Michal Koontz and Bandelin-Dacey Reading level: Ages 7 and up |
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From Caterpillar to Butterfly (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science, Stage 1) by Deborah Heiligman and illustrated by Bari WeissmanReading level: Ages 4 and up Paperback: 32 pages Publisher: Collins (April 26, 1996) This book is an account of a classroom caterpillar that undergoes metamorphosis into a beautiful butterfly. |
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Are You a Butterfly? (Backyard Books) by Judy Allen and Tudor HumphriesReading level: Ages 5 and up Paperback: 28 pages Publisher: Kingfisher (May 16, 2003) Part of Judy Allen and Tudor Humphries’ wonderful nonfiction series, asking the question “Are you…?” Are you a butterfly? Are you a grasshopper? Are you an ant? All are beautifully done and well-researched books. The child is brought into the story in a creative way. |
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My, Oh My–A Butterfly!: All About Butterflies (Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library) by Tish Rabe and illustrated by Aristides Ruiz and Joe Mathieu Reading level: Ages 5 and up Done in rhyme, these Cat in the Hat science books are very informative and fun to read. |
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Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert This picture book for the youngest set is bright, bold and beautifully done. It traces the life cycle of a butterfly very simply, and then has a bit more in depth information about butterflies and flowers at the end. There’s even a page of information about butterfly gardening. |
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It’s a Butterfly’s Life by Irene Kelly. Hardcover: 32 pages Publisher: Holiday House (April 15, 2007) This nonfiction book has many lovely illustrations. If you are looking for a book for beginning reader, be aware that the font looks like hand lettering and the sentences wave up and down across the page, almost like the pattern of a butterfly flying. This looks lovely, but may be hard for a struggling reader to read. It has many interesting facts, and covers the butterfly life cycle in detail. |
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Caterpillarology (Backyard Buddies) by Michael Elsohn Ross and illustrated by Darren Erickson and Brian Grogan is for children who are interested in science and doing science experiments with caterpillars. This book (and the others in the “-ology” series) are chock full of great information and fun activities. Although they are older, these books are truly unique and worth picking up. |
Related Fiction for Children:
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Inch by Inch by Leo Lionni It is an adorable tale of an inchworm that escapes from some hungry birds in a clever way. A classic, it won a Caldecott Honor. This book could also be useful as an introduction to measuring. |
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The Girl Who Loved Caterpillars: a twelfth-century tale from Japan adapted by Jean Merrill and illustrated by Floyd Cooper.
It is hard not to love a book that is so beautifully written and illustrated. The overall tale is of a lovely young Japanese girl who defies the traditions of her time. She prefers caterpillars and centipedes to butterflies, and collects and raises them. This story is incredibly complex, and even makes adults who read it think deeply about it. One issue is the fact that the story is probably only the first chapter of a much longer tale, but the rest has been lost. Some people may wonder why the author didn’t construct her own ending. Rather than detracting from the book however, for me it only made it more interesting. |
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Project Mulberry by Linda Sue Park is a fiction chapter book about two children who decide to raise silkworms for a state fair project. Although the story about silkworms is already compelling, the main character and the author also have chats on the side throughout the book that reveal how writing works. Ages 9+ |
Note: Linked titles go to Amazon for further information and reviews. Just so you know, I am an affiliate with Amazon. If you make a purchase after clicking on one of the links, I will receive a small commission at no extra charge to you, the proceeds of which will help pay for maintaining Growing With Science.
OK, Roberta – What a great collection of moth books – but who let those butterflies in?
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Thanks, Sue.
As for the butterflies, they just fluttered in