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Butterfly for a King: Saving Hawai?i's Kamehameha Butterflies

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Butterfly for a King: Saving Hawai?i's Kamehameha Butterflies

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Overview

The fascinating true story of a beautiful native Hawaiian butterfly, a great Hawaiian warrior king, and current-day efforts by scientists and citizens to restore the butterfly's declining population.

The beautiful Kamehameha butterfly lives in Hawaii and nowhere else on Earth. Named to honor the great king who united the Hawaiian Islands, the butterfly is one of only two species native to Hawaii.

After the Kamehameha butterfly became the state insect—thanks to a group of fifth graders—people noticed that the butterflies were disappearing. So a team of dedicated professional and citizen scientists began working together to restore the butterfly's natural habitat and reintroduce butterflies in places where they were once found.

From the Sibert Medal-winning team that created Parrots Over Puerto Rico comes another nature adventure. Discover the captivating story of the Kamehameha butterfly and the people all around Hawaii who are helping it survive.

Product Details
About the Author

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781620149713
Publisher:	Lee & Low Books
Publication date:	02/09/2021
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	317,293
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 10.75(h) x 0.50(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Cindy Trumbore has been involved with young people's literature for most of her career. A former editor in children's book publishing, she now writes children's books, edits books for classrooms, and teaches writing. She has collaborated with her friend Susan L. Roth on several award-winning titles, including Parrots Over Puerto Rico, which won the Robert F. Sibert Medal for Nonfiction; The Mangrove Tree; Prairie Dog Song, and most recently Butterfly for a King. She lives with her husband in Delaware. You can visit her online at cindykane.net.

Susan L. Roth's vibrant, unique, mixed-media collage illustrations have appeared in numerous outstanding picture books, including Parrots Over Puerto Rico, winner of the Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Medal; Prairie Dog Song; The Mangrove Tree; Every Month Is a New Year, Malala Yousafzai: Warrior with Words, and most recently Butterfly for a King. Roth and her husband live in New York. Visit her online at susanlroth.com.

From the B&N Reads Blog

Page 1 of

Editorial Reviews

02/08/2021
Beginning with the history of Hawai‘i’s geological formation (“layers of lava piled up”) and moving to its sociopolitical history—King Kamehameha’s early 19th-century uniting of the island chain now known as a U.S. state—this nonfiction book centers Kamehameha’s namesake butterfly, which “lives in Hawai‘i and nowhere else on Earth.” After fifth grade students successfully campaigned to elect the butterfly as state insect in 2009, people became aware of its shrinking population and formed the Pulelehua Project, which, with the help of citizen scientists, bred and released thousands of the insects back into nature. The previous collaborators (Parrots over Puerto Rico) begin each page with spare, consecutive sentences, employing ellipses across the spread’s gutter (“Children spoke up.../ and a law was passed”) and a denser paragraph of additional information in each page’s lower third (“The students told lawmakers that the butterfly’s numbers were shrinking”). Roth’s intricate collages offer lush layers of cut shapes in a variety of colors and textures, which, combined with simple phrases (“Butterflies laid eggs.../ and caterpillars hatched), are particularly fitting for readers below the stated age range. An eco-conscious narrative suited to invigorating older children’s own activist efforts. Back matter includes an informative afterword, photographs, an illustrator’s note, and author’s sources. Ages 8–12. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

* "A triumph; highly recommended for all libraries." — School Library Journal, starred review

* "A beautiful story beautifully told." — Booklist, starred review

"A beautifully illustrated account of both a butterfly and the people who worked to save it." — Kirkus Reviews

"An eco-conscious narrative suited to invigorating older children's own activist efforts." — Publishers Weekly
AAAS/Subaru SB&F Prize for Excellence in Science Books - American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Best Children's Books of the Year - Bank Street College of Education
Best of the Best Books - Chicago Public Library
Cook Prize Honor - Bank Street College of Education
Delaware Diamonds Awards 2022 - Diamond State Reading Association
Eureka! Nonfiction Children's Book Award Honor - California Reading Association
Green Earth Book Award - The Nature Generation
Junior Library Guild Selection
Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction Recommended - National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
Outstanding Achievement in Children's Literature Winner - Wisconsin Library Association
Outstanding Achievement in Children's Literature Winner - Wisconsin Library Association
Virginia Readers' Choice Elementary List 2022-2023 - Virginia State Literacy Association

From the Publisher

★ 02/01/2021
Gr 1–4—Conservation, citizen science, and a perennially popular juvenile nonfiction topic come together in this beautifully illustrated title about Hawai'i's Kamehameha butterflies. The narrative begins with the formation of the Hawaiian islands and introduces Kamehameha as the king who unified the islands under his leadership. He also had a butterfly named for him. In 2009, six fifth-grade students campaigned to get the Kamehameha butterfly named as Hawai'i's official state insect in an effort to raise awareness of the population's decline. The Pulelehua Project was formed, and its scientists asked Hawaiian citizens to record and submit data of the butterflies in their natural habitats in the stages of their life cycle. This information helped determine where and when to release butterflies from a breeding program into the wild. The text works on two levels to expand its intended audience range. The top of each spread features a short sentence, often with a repetitive clause, that draws a simple throughline in the story. More complex scientific concepts and explanations are included in paragraphs near the bottom of the pages. Roth's intricate and appealing collages elevate the title, opening strongly on an exploding volcano and making each page turn an anticipatory delight. An afterword, illustrator's note, acknowledgments, sources, and photograph credits are included. VERDICT A triumph; highly recommended for all libraries.—Kacy Helwick, New Orleans P.L.

School Library Journal

2020-11-18
The history and species-conservation story of the Kamehameha butterfly, native to Hawaii.
Millions of years ago, volcanoes formed the Hawaiian Islands, and over time plants reached the islands via wind, water, and birds. With the plants arrived insects, like the forebears of the special butterfly found only in Hawaii. The Kamehameha butterfly’s name is explained with a brief history of King Kamehameha and how he united the Hawaiian Islands. Skipping ahead to 2009, Roth and Trumbore relate how a group of fifth grade students decided the Kamehameha butterfly should be Hawaii’s official state insect. Explaining the butterfly’s declining numbers, they asked state leaders to pass a law recognizing the butterfly as the state insect, hoping it would help in its protection. It worked: With the passage of the law, Hawaii residents began to ask about the butterfly, sparking a cooperative project among the government, a local university, and citizen scientists. It’s a bilevel text, with a simple text in a large font running across the tops of pages and telling a poetic story and short paragraphs beneath in a smaller font that go into greater detail. Roth’s distinctively textured collage illustrations are stunning, portraying the butterfly’s life cycle and the people who helped save the species. Pronunciations of Hawaiian words are at the bottom of each page.
A beautifully illustrated account of both a butterfly and the people who worked to save it. (afterword, photos, illustrator's note, authors' note, sources) (Informational picture book. 5-12)

Kirkus Reviews

Butterfly for a King: Saving Hawai?i's Kamehameha Butterflies

Butterfly for a King: Saving Hawai?i's Kamehameha Butterflies

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