The yellow butterfly's journey begins in the Yucatan rain forest. From there it wings its way across the sea to reach the shores of North America. This butterfly, whose common name is cloudless sulphur, may travel as far as New England, a distance of more than 2,000 miles. The journey is hard. The butterfly must overcome dangers on land and water, from hungry lizards to stormy seas. Though it is a delicate creature, it has the strength to make the migration north. Some cloudless sulphurs on the east coast fly as far north as New England while those on the west coast may migrate all the way to Yellowstone National Park. Stephen Swinburne and Bruce Hiscock, creators of Turtle Tide: The Ways of Sea Turtles, follow the trail of one particular yellow butterfly, a butterfly with a notch on its wing. With lyrical prose and stunning illustrations, here is a story of one of nature's spectacular events: the migration of the yellow butterfly.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4 On a summer morning a yellow butterfly with a notch in its wing, sliced by a bird's beak, flutters across the sunbeams of a Yucatán rain forest. So begins this account of the long, hazardous journey that some cloudless sulphur butterflies make to mate and lay their eggs somewhere in the eastern United States. Sunny watercolor views soften the arduous trek that will scatter the surviving butterflies and take the featured male all the way to southern Vermont. Unlike most animal migrations, this is a one-way trip, and not all of the species migrate. Explanation in a concluding author's note is not entirely clear on these matters. This is a travel story, complete with a map that creates an impression of the butterfly's migration and life cycle. A simple introduction to migration for younger readers. Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
K-Gr. 3. A yellow butterfly joins others of its species in a migratory flight. Beginning in a rain forest on the Yucatan Peninsula, the butterflies (cloudless sulphurs) cross the Gulf of Mexico and scatter throughout the southern states, with the featured butterfly, along with a few others, continuing up the East Coast to Vermont. It mates with another butterfly, which lays eggs that hatch after the butterflies die. An author's note tells more about the species and its extraordinary 2,000-mile journey, fueled only by flower nectar. Avoiding anthropomorphism, Swinburne makes the story compelling by weaving sensory details into the facts. Hiscock's large-scale watercolor paintings capture the qualities of light in different environments as well as the beauty of nature, whether the setting is a Mexican forest, a Maryland coastal island, a New York City park, or a Vermont garden. An excellent map shows the migratory path. A well-written and beautifully illustrated picture book. Carolyn Phelan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
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More About the Author
The Short Version
Steve was born in London, England. He holds a BA degree in Biology and English from Castleton State College in Vermont. He has worked as a ranger in a number of national parks and is the author of over 25 children's books. His extensive travels to faraway lands such as Africa and treks through Yellowstone have all influenced his book projects. Steve's first mid-grade novel, WIFF AND DIRTY GEORGE, will appear Spring 2010. He lives in Vermont with his wife Heather and a cat named Skittles.
The Long Version
My mother, Lily, had me at Marleyborne Hospital in London, England, at 11 o'clock in the morning on November 8, 1952. My father, William Swinburne, worked on trains delivering mail to faraway places all over England. I think that's where I get my love of trains. I was the middle kid--my brother, Peter was a year older, and my sister, Madeline, a year younger. We lived at 7 Wolsey Road in north London, a poor neighborhood of attached brick houses, narrow streets and endless chimneys poking the sky. During World War 2, a bomb from a German plane made a direct hit on the only pub on our street. One person was killed and the pub was rebuilt into a new pub called The Lady Mildmay.
My best friend on 7 Wolsey Road was a kid named George. Mom considered him scruffy and nasty. She called him Dirty George. I was dubbed Wiff. It seems neither of us cared much for soap and water. When we weren't mucking about the streets, we fought other neighborhood kids. Sometimes we'd chuck stones at each other. Once, a well-thrown stone split open my upper lip.
When I was almost 8, we moved from England to America. Mom, Peter, Madeline and I boarded the Queen Elizabeth in Southampton in southern England on April 20, 1960. We landed in New York City five days later. Southampton was the same port the Titanic departed from on April 10, 1912. They hoped to arrive in New York City on April 15, but the ship struck an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912 and sank almost 3 hours later.
I remember two things about our passage on the Queen Elizabeth: sitting in the swanky dining room being served by waiters in their crisp white uniforms. I looked down at the table setting and saw a 100 knives, forks and spoons. Which ones did I use first? The other memory that stands out was when we were docking in New York City. My mother held my sister in her arms and stood at the rail, leaning over, searching for my father along the wharf. When the ship's horn blasted behind us, my mother jumped nearly spilling my sister into New York harbor far below. What a welcome that would have been!
Age 8 to 17 was a blur of moving houses (my dad liked to switch houses every 2 years), new schools, new friends and fights with my brother and sister culminating in my parents divorce in 1970. All those years I took refuge in listening to The Beatles and writing in journals. I remember yanking the bed sheets over my head, flipping on a tiny flashlight and scratching words into 5-cent journal. I've kept journals and dairies all my life and think it's a great place to fall in love with words.
Growing up, I wanted to be an adventurer, a naturalist or marine biologist. Ever since I can remember, I've put words on paper and I feel so fortunate to make a living writing, exploring new places, learning about the amazing creatures we share this planet with.
I still would like to be an adventurer or marine biologist. One day. And I think a rock star would be kind of cool, too.
Steve holds a bachelor of arts degree in biology and English from Castleton State College, Vt. He has worked as ranger in a number of national parks.
He loves to travel and observe nature and wildlife. A safari in Africa, hiking in Scotland, monitoring sea turtles on a Georgia island, a winter trek through Yellowstone and watching shorebirds in New York have all led to book projects.
He lives in South Londonderry, Vermont, with his wife Heather and daughters Hayley and Devon.
When Steve is not writing and photographing children's books, he loves to sing and play Beatle songs on his Gibson guitar, garden, read, travel with his family and take pictures.
Steve's photography has appeared in magazines such as COUNTRY JOURNAL, VERMONT LIFE, GARDEN DESIGN, FAMILY FUN and HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN.
Steve was born in London, England. He holds a BA degree in Biology and English from Castleton State College in Vermont. He has worked as a ranger in a number of national parks and is the author of over 25 children's books. His extensive travels to faraway lands such as Africa and treks through Yellowstone have all influenced his book projects. Steve's first mid-grade novel, WIFF AND DIRTY GEORGE, will appear Spring 2010. He lives in Vermont with his wife Heather and a cat named Skittles.
The Long Version
My mother, Lily, had me at Marleyborne Hospital in London, England, at 11 o'clock in the morning on November 8, 1952. My father, William Swinburne, worked on trains delivering mail to faraway places all over England. I think that's where I get my love of trains. I was the middle kid--my brother, Peter was a year older, and my sister, Madeline, a year younger. We lived at 7 Wolsey Road in north London, a poor neighborhood of attached brick houses, narrow streets and endless chimneys poking the sky. During World War 2, a bomb from a German plane made a direct hit on the only pub on our street. One person was killed and the pub was rebuilt into a new pub called The Lady Mildmay.
My best friend on 7 Wolsey Road was a kid named George. Mom considered him scruffy and nasty. She called him Dirty George. I was dubbed Wiff. It seems neither of us cared much for soap and water. When we weren't mucking about the streets, we fought other neighborhood kids. Sometimes we'd chuck stones at each other. Once, a well-thrown stone split open my upper lip.
When I was almost 8, we moved from England to America. Mom, Peter, Madeline and I boarded the Queen Elizabeth in Southampton in southern England on April 20, 1960. We landed in New York City five days later. Southampton was the same port the Titanic departed from on April 10, 1912. They hoped to arrive in New York City on April 15, but the ship struck an iceberg at 11:40 p.m. on April 14, 1912 and sank almost 3 hours later.
I remember two things about our passage on the Queen Elizabeth: sitting in the swanky dining room being served by waiters in their crisp white uniforms. I looked down at the table setting and saw a 100 knives, forks and spoons. Which ones did I use first? The other memory that stands out was when we were docking in New York City. My mother held my sister in her arms and stood at the rail, leaning over, searching for my father along the wharf. When the ship's horn blasted behind us, my mother jumped nearly spilling my sister into New York harbor far below. What a welcome that would have been!
Age 8 to 17 was a blur of moving houses (my dad liked to switch houses every 2 years), new schools, new friends and fights with my brother and sister culminating in my parents divorce in 1970. All those years I took refuge in listening to The Beatles and writing in journals. I remember yanking the bed sheets over my head, flipping on a tiny flashlight and scratching words into 5-cent journal. I've kept journals and dairies all my life and think it's a great place to fall in love with words.
Growing up, I wanted to be an adventurer, a naturalist or marine biologist. Ever since I can remember, I've put words on paper and I feel so fortunate to make a living writing, exploring new places, learning about the amazing creatures we share this planet with.
I still would like to be an adventurer or marine biologist. One day. And I think a rock star would be kind of cool, too.
Steve holds a bachelor of arts degree in biology and English from Castleton State College, Vt. He has worked as ranger in a number of national parks.
He loves to travel and observe nature and wildlife. A safari in Africa, hiking in Scotland, monitoring sea turtles on a Georgia island, a winter trek through Yellowstone and watching shorebirds in New York have all led to book projects.
He lives in South Londonderry, Vermont, with his wife Heather and daughters Hayley and Devon.
When Steve is not writing and photographing children's books, he loves to sing and play Beatle songs on his Gibson guitar, garden, read, travel with his family and take pictures.
Steve's photography has appeared in magazines such as COUNTRY JOURNAL, VERMONT LIFE, GARDEN DESIGN, FAMILY FUN and HIGHLIGHTS FOR CHILDREN.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
4 1/2 Sumptuous Illustrations Highlight "Wings of LIght",
This review is from: Wings of Light: The Migration of the Yellow Butterfly (Hardcover)
Bruce Hiscock's luminous, almost staggeringly beautiful watercolor illustrations highlight this story about the migration of a yellow butterfly from the Yucatan forests to a Vermont farm. Hiscock's mastery of light, form, and composition help us discover new ways of looking at the butterfly's long jouney. He reveal the jungle's abstract color designs, the Gulf of Mexico's blue waters--dappled with scores of yellow-winged shapeds, and the brilliance of the flowers that provide food and nesting grounds. Hiscock treats us to bright delphimiums and bromeliads, wild ponies running over Assateague Island, Maryland, and a startling trail of pure yellow that's actually a stream of butterflies beginning their flight over the Gulf.The prose is rhythmic, but Swinburne's grand style sometimes tries too hard; that is, it begins to sound overwritten: "The next morning, the forest, from mossy floor to canopy, moves in flashes of yellow wings." "The bromeliad with a notch in it's wing perches on a bromeliad living on the branch of a fig tree." Some sentences are too long, or too illiterative: "Many of them fly to feed on the forest flowers." Some readers will enjoy these lush poetic sounds; however, I found them distracting, and the language may be somewhat too complex for toddlers. There's also one annoying mismatch of text and illustration. We read that "a yellow butterfly with a notch in its wing, sliced by a bird's beak," flutters by, but the butterfly (the one we follow throughout the book from its initial flight to its tired Disney-like "cycle of life" ending) is a small speck in the background, it's confusing bird-sliced notch barely visible. Generally, however, the book presents an oooh- and ahhhh-inspiring narrative of the long migration path. There's a migration map part way through (although it shows only the USA leg of the migration; Central America is out of the picture),and an afterward which ponders--without directly answering--how such a small insect can make a trip of thousands of miles. By far, the best part of the book, unusually good, in fact, are the gripping watercolors of Mr. Hiscock. I think the book is most appropriate for older grade-schoolers who can understand the text, and who have some library skills to do further research. 29 pages (including frontispiece and afterward), on high quality paper, from Boyds Mills Publishing.
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