Customer Reviews

The Butterfly Alphabet

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I first thought this book was an alphabet book for young children, such as to help teach them the alphabet. This is more like a book that would be kept on a coffee table by an adult that adores butterflies. I still love it despite my misconception!

This is an amazing work. The author is actually a nature photographer who accidentially noticed that some patterns on butterfly's wings are shaped like letters of the English alphabet while looking at the wings under a microscope. He then took very close photographs of the "letters". He then went around the world hoping to find each of the 26 letters in our alphabet; this journey took 25 years. Now that is a labor of love!

The end result is this: on the left side of the page is a full color photo of the entire butterfly. One sentence describing butterflies with one of the words beginning with that letter of the alphabet is written in very poetic language that would be most appreciated by adults or anyone who enjoys poetry. Note that the featured letter is written in capital only and in script style so this is of no use to preschoolers who need to see both capital and lower case letters in PRINT. The name of the butterfly is then given. On the right side of the page is a huge photograph of the close up that shows the pattern on the wings that looks just like the featured letter of the alphabet.

Incredible! Interesting!

This would be of interest to anyone who is interested in butterflies. Possibly a good tool to show when introducing microscopes and what they can reveal and also when teaching about butterflies and science/nature.

This is a beautiful work for anyone who loves butterflies. I often pick it up and browse its pages, admiring the beauty in nature. It can be read and reread numerous times. The photographs are wonderful, and the idea is ingenious!

This book is truely a great book for kids. Not only is it educational but it is also fun. Kids can try to find the letters that are hidden in the butterflys wings. They can take that and use it when they see butterflys around the yard. I'm an elementary education major in college and I would definitely use this in my future classroom for a unit on butterflys, and also just as a fun book. In the back of the book information is provided on all the butterflys and moths that are in the book.

it is so creative and amazing. what a wonderful view of how beautiful nature is.

This is a delightful book with scientific information about the butterflies as well as a beautiful poem and close up photos of the letters of the alphabet on the butterflies' wings. Check out the author's posters, as well.

Great purchase experience. The book is in great condition, true to description. Arrived before expected day. Looking forward to using the book in my classroom.

In this unusual book, the author presents a different butterfly or moth for each letter of the alphabet in a two-page spread. On the first of each page, the whole insect is presented by name in a small photograph, with a selected letter and a rhyming couplet; on the facing page is a close-up section of its wing, in which the letter's shape may be traced. The book ends with a few pages about the habits and characteristics of butterflies, as well as a more detailed description of each moth and butterfly featured in the book.

The book might provide some supplementary practice for young children learning the alphabet, but some of the letters are actually difficult to find in the wing patterns, and in a few examples it is difficult to see how the close-up image matches the insect on the facing page (it's likely that different individual insects from the same species were used for the two photographs). This might create frustration for readers who don't already know their letters; but for slightly older children, the exercise of finding familiar letters in the beautiful close-up photos will sharpen their observational skills, while providing them with a close-up view of these creatures. This will benefit all readers, but may be best appreciated by an audience which has some access to real butterflies, either in a butterfly garden or in an outdoor ramble.

My 7-yr old son and I enjoyed this book very much. We had fun trying to find the detailed image in the full photo image - fabulous. And the poetry is very nice as well. Eye candy!