Butterflies! (TIME for Kids Science Scoops: Level 3)

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Synopsis

This non-fiction early reader from TIME for Kids will give young readers the inside scoop on these fascinating creatures. See how a caterpillar metamorphoses into a butterfly. Find out how far the Monarch butterfly travels during its life. Learn all sorts of fun facts about these beautiful insects such as what they eat, how many different species there are, and how long they've lived on the Earth, as well as what you can do to help them survive.

Review

Butterflies! is a combination non-fiction picture book and early reader in the TIME for Kids Science Scoops series. It's geared toward kids who are starting to read more independently with very short chapters and more challenging vocabulary, but it would work great for a read-aloud with younger kids as well. The book imparts all sorts of fun facts about butterflies, starting with anatomy. Then it moves on to butterfly development from egg to caterpillar to butterfly. There's a chapter on Monarch butterflies and their amazing migration. The last chapter covers butterfly fossils, endangerment, and camouflage, as well as how kids can plant a butterfly garden to help these amazing insects. At the end, there's a list of vocabulary words that kids might not be familiar with, along with how to say "butterfly" in several other languages.

Overall, Butterflies! was a good book. It gives kids basic foundational knowledge about butterflies in short, easy-to-read chapters. The photographs of these lovely creatures are bright and colorful, sure to draw readers' attention. I don't think I'd ever seen a butterfly fossil before, so that photo was pretty cool. I also learned a couple of new tidbits about these insects who brighten our world and help pollinate our plants, and it's always a plus when I, as an adult, can learn something from a book aimed at kids. So in general, I thought this book was nicely done. It's left me interested in checking out other books in the TIME for Kids series.

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