Becoming Butterflies [Paperback]

Anne Rockwell (Author), Megan Halsey (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2004 | Age Range: 4 - 8 years

Let the scientist in every child take wing.

One day Miss Dana brings a surprise to school—three striped caterpillars and a flowerpot full of milkweed. Her students can’t believe that these tiny, wriggling creatures less than an inch long will grow into butterflies, fragile beauties strong enough to fly thousands of miles to their winter home in Mexico.

And so begins a magical month of metamorphosis. The children observe and draw the changes they see as the caterpillars transform themselves right before their eyes. When the newly formed butterflies break free of their chrysalises, it is time for the class to let them go find their place in the world.

This captivating concept book simply and eloquently invites young children to witness and celebrate the cycle of life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The team behind One Bean and Pumpkin Day, Pumpkin Night join up for a lesson on metamorphosis in Becoming Butterflies by Anne Rockwell, illus. by Megan Halsey. Cut-paper collage creates a three-dimensional effect in Miss Dana's classroom; the students' pictures record the chrysalis stage and the butterflies' emergence. Front endpapers label different caterpillars, while the back endpapers picture the butterflies they become, labeled with common and scientific names.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

reSchool-Grade 2--Every preschool or primary teacher who orders a brown box of live caterpillars will want to read this book aloud. When his teacher brings three monarch caterpillars and a milkweed plant to class, the young narrator follows their transformation with the same questions and concerns of young students in any classroom. His multicultural classmates track the changes in the caterpillars through drawings, and sadly wave good-bye through the window as the butterflies fly away. Without an unnecessary word of explanation, the text makes clear the science of metamorphosis, and leavens the story with the humor of the children's comments. The illustrations are watercolors with pieces of cut paper layered to give depth. They are childlike without being primitive and give fine support for the scientific observation. An endnote offers more details for adults and a Web site, and clever endpapers show the caterpillars of others species at the front of the book and their butterflies at the back. Amid the many books on the topic, this one is a standout for the age group.
Ellen Heath, Orchard School, Ridgewood, NJ
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Walker Childrens; Reprint edition (March 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802776868
• ISBN-13: 978-0802776860
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 9 x 0.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,527,296 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Educators Recommend April 13, 2004

By Education Oasis

Format:Hardcover

"One day Miss Dana brought a surprise to school-three striped caterpillars and a flowerpot. A green plant called milkweed was growing in the flowerpot." So begins this informative and charming tale about a classroom full of curious children and three caterpillars that become, in time, magnificent Monarch butterflies.

As the children watch the metamorphosis, they draw pictures and comment on the process. They also ask the questions readers would like to ask, if they could, thus allowing the author to weave tidbits of information into the story seamlessly.

We learn, for example, that when the caterpillar's skin splits for the fifth time, it is ready to become a chrysalis.

At story's end, the butterflies, after drying their wings, are set free from an open window. The children watch them go with a mixture of sadness and hope. Thankfully, the author does not end the classroom adventure there (as she might have). Rather, Miss Dana shows the children where Mexico is on a map and tells them the butterflies will eventually go there before the onset of winter. The students then write a letter to schoolchildren at a school in Chincua, Mexico, asking them to "Please take good care of our butterflies." Winter arrives and so does a letter from the students in Chincua, along with a picture of a tree laden with Monarch butterflies. "All of us looked and looked," says the narrator, "wondering which were the three butterflies we hatched in our classroom and set free to fly so far away."

Also included is an author's note which gives readers more information about Monarchs as well as an internet resource where they may go for more information. The endpapers at the book's beginning show illustrations of nine different caterpillars. Turning to the back of the book, readers are treated to colorful, detailed illustrations of the butterflies that they become.

The illustrations are watercolors that have been cut and then layered, thus creating lively, realistic three-dimensional scenes.

We took the book into a second grade classroom to read aloud. The children enjoyed it immensely and asked many thoughtful questions about caterpillars and butterflies. They were especially taken with the illustrations, poring over each page and pointing out details to each other.

A definite "must-have" for your classroom.

(...)

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Description of the changing states of a butterfly February 2, 2003

By Wendy Somerlot Bittel

Format:Hardcover

My preschooler loves this book. It walks through the stages of a butterfly's development in a story format. The illustrations and descriptions are perfect for helping the younger listener/reader imagine what is taking place as the caterpillar grows and changes. It even descibes the migratory patterns of the monarch butterfly. This book does a great job of conveying a lot of factual information while still maintaining the fun of a bedtime story.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Joyous Read! January 23, 2007

By Amy Graham

Format:Hardcover

What a lovely book this is!! Becoming Butterflies is the story of what happens when Ms. Dana brings in a special milkweed plant and three caterpillars to her classroom. Here we are treated to a story that seamlessly weaves together the narrative (from a students perspective), which gives us a child's eye view of the process and the many activities the kids did as a class as the caterpillars grew and changed and scientific facts...it'd done so well that kids will probably miss the "lesson," learning all about these butterflies right along with the kids in Ms. Dana's class.

What I was particularly enjoyed was that the author managed to get the information in there (all of it) without skipping over the FIVE times the caterpillars split our of the skin before they are ready to become a chrysalis. Even after the butterflies break out of their chrysalis, dry their wings, and are released outdoors to migrate to Mexico with much sadness on the students part, the author takes it one step further. She has the teacher tell them that the butterflies are going to Mexico, showing them on a map and the kids then write letters to kids in a school in Mexico who write back and send Ms. Dana's students a lovely photo of a tree FILLEED with butterflies that have migrated there, giving the kids a sense of closure on the whole process. The book really captures that sense of wonder and joy in watching the metamorphosis from start to finish. This is an excellent book fro preschool age kids up to about grade 3, older kids will probably find it too simple, but for younger readers it's an excellent classroom or homeschooling resource! I give it 5 stars and recommend it highly!!