A Children’s Guide to Arctic Butterflies

When one thinks of butterflies, one usually thinks of warm summer days and bright summer flowers, but there are many species of butterflies that live in the Arctic region of North America. This beautiful book opens with information about how to tell the difference between moths and butterflies, a page showing the different parts of a butterfly, a page showing the life cycle of a butterfly, and pages explaining how butterflies stay warm in the Arctic and what these creatures do in the Arctic winter. These pages are followed by a dozen spreads with a different Arctic butterfly on each, including drawings showing the upper and undersides of the butterfly, where to look for it, how they fly, a description of the caterpillar, how they handle the winter, and a fun fact. That page faces a full-page illustration showing the butterfly in its native habitat. While the caterpillar is described, it would be nice if an illustration of it were included. The writing is lively and the illustrations are gorgeous. This will be a great addition to any library or classroom and a must-have for kids who are interested in insects.