Butterflies Fly [Hardcover]

Yvonne Winer (Author), Karen Lloyd-Jones (Illustrator)

Book Description

As they did so successfully in Spiders Spin Webs (see page 47), this talented author-illustrator team helps us see a familiar creature in a new light. Simple, whimsical verses introduce a variety of butterflies, and colorful, detailed illustrations bring them to life with dazzling realism. A butterfly identification guide adds factual information about each butterfly, and recommended books and web sites are also included.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Aspiring lepidopterists can learn how, when, where and why butterflies take flight in flowery prose ("Butterflies paint/ A palette so bright:/ A gift to the world,/ A symphonic flight./ That's why butterflies fly") on the pages of Butterflies Fly by Yvonne Winer, illus. by Karen Lloyd-Jones. What the text lacks in specificity the illustrations more than compensate for: from the well-known Monarch butterfly to the Indian Leaf that hails from Southern East Asia, each delicate pair of wings is pictured in its habitat. These glorious paintings and a closing identification guide will lead readers off to the closest butterfly exhibit. ( Feb.)
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-As in their Spiders Spin Webs (Charlesbridge, 1998), Winer and Lloyd-Jones combine light verses with visually gorgeous paintings. Each picture features one of 15 types of butterflies in its natural environment. Unfortunately, the verses, all concluding with a variation of the refrain "That's how butterflies fly," are not as illuminating as the realistic artwork. Lines like "Butterflies glide/By meandering streams,/Reflecting the world/In colorful dreams./That's how butterflies fly" do little to express the wonder of the creatures. The book concludes with an identification guide to the featured butterflies and a list of recommended reading and Web sites. Field guides like Paul Opler's Peterson First Guide to Butterflies and Moths (Houghton, 1994; o.p.) or the National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Butterflies (Knopf, 1981; o.p.) offer better insect science. Douglas Florian's Insectlopedia (Harcourt, 1998) and Paul Fleischman's Joyful Noise (HarperCollins, 1988) offer better insect poetry.
Kathleen Whalin, Greenwich Country Day School, CT
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing (February 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157091446X
• ISBN-13: 978-1570914461
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 9.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,792,794 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEAUTIFUL BOOK TO JUST READ AND A WONDERFUL TEACHING AIDE., August 4, 2011

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Butterflies Fly (Paperback)

Author Yvonne Winer seems to have a knack for choosing wonderful illustrators to bring her poetic observations to life and has certainly continued her winning streak with the choice of Karne Lloyd-Jones for this delightful bit of work.

Butterflies are among the most fascinating, whimsical and beautiful creatures on earth, and this nicely done book stresses all three of these virtues. The author has covered 15 species and has designed and written the book much like previous works and works that have followed since the publication of this one. One page has a nice small picture of a beautiful butterfly followed by a short rhyme:

Butterflies fly
In a dancing white cloud
That covers the fields
In a gossamer shroud.
That's how butter flies fly.

The facing page is completely covered by a magnificent painting by Karen Lloyd-Jones which features the butterfly on the opposing page but includes flowering plants, and the environment these creatures can be found in and numerous numbers of the species together in all kinds of different, yet natural positions. The illustrations are of the quality that one must look close to see if they are actually paintings and not photographs. They are absolutely beautiful. The details of each butterfly are quite often better than I have seen in many butterfly identification books which are used and written for adults.

Butterflies sip
Where tree frogs creep,
In gullies so gloomy,
In shadows so deep.
That's where butterflies fly.

Each time the reader examines these paintings new things are found that were missed at the last readings. This is one of those books that can be read to the child or by the child over and over again and it is like a new experience each time.

The author has concluded the work with two full pages featuring each of the butterflies used in the poems and illustrations and has added their common name, scientific name, location found and a paragraph about that particular species.

This work is for smaller children and unlike The Library Journal (see review above) I do not suggest you simply give a child a field guide or text book to tweak their interest in these amazing insects...wow, does that sound cold. "Here kid...take this text book and get back with me if you have any questions and you can look the Latin phrases up yourself." Hmmm, been there, done that and I most certainly would not do that to a young child of mine or one I was suppose to be teaching

Best to teach your children about butterflies now because if you keep track of such things, you will know that these colorful and useful animals are rather quickly disappearing from the face of the earth and will quite likely not be here that much longer.

Don Blankenship

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Butterflies Fly, October 26, 2004

By 

Jessica LaMay Jenkins - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Butterflies Fly (Hardcover)

This is a poetic children's book that includes miraculous images of fifteen different butterfly species found throughout the world. Each page within this book contains an amazingly detailed poetic verse and displays a different beautifully illustrated butterfly. The author and illustrator were able to bring these fragile creatures to life through the brilliant use of words and realistic art. The last two pages contain a butterfly identification guide corresponding with each illustrated butterfly. Within this guide, each of the fifteen butterflies is identified by common name, scientific name, wingspan, a brief explanation of its habitat, and a description of the butterfly's history and life cycle. This book would provide a rich source of information in an elementary science class when studying different butterfly species. When the class is completing a lesson on butterflies and their life cycles, the teacher could take time to incorporate reading and science together by using this book. Also, the class could use some of the illustrations in the book to see how some butterflies use camouflage against predators. The text and art within this book will give each reader a detailed picture of the butterfly in its natural habitat.

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Butterfly Book, April 25, 2010

By 

magnoliabelle - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Butterflies Fly (Paperback)

My almost 3 year old daughter loves this book! They had it in her nature class and she always grabbed it when we went, so I got it for her. The pictures are vibrant and just beautiful!