A great book for kids of all ages. Even adults will benefit from what this book has to offer. What it presents is very clear and concise and the photos are phenomenal. This book would be a great introduction to butterflies in general, especially for anyone who would like to raise them in captivity, with the intention of releasing back into the wild.
Dave the Bug Guy blog - David Albaugh
50 Must-Read How-To Books. Raising monarch butterflies is made easy with the help of this detailed guide. How to Raise Monarch Butterflies explains what threats Monarchs face today and how readers can help conserve the Monarch's feeding grounds from encroachment. Revel in one of the most remarkable miracles of nature.
Book Riot - Sarah Nichols
It's the perfect step-by-step guide for children.
Waterloo Region-Record - Nancy Harper
Kids who love wildlife will find much to learn in this informative and beautifully photographed book.
This exciting new book is a great introduction to the amazing lives of Monarch butterflies, with detailed information on how to care for and raise the caterpillars. With many full-colour photographs illustrating every step and aspect of a Monarch's life and journey, this book is a great resource for educators, parents and monarch-lovers of all ages!
Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory
Spectacular photographs add much to this informative text... a valuable addition to an elementary school library.
Resource Links, Vol. 17 No. 5 - Carolyn Cutt
Parents and grandparents looking for something to do with the kids this summer should consider this great backyard project.
Guelph Mercury - Brenda Hoerle
A monarch enthusiast, Pasternak clearly wants to encourage readers to develop their own fascination through experience and further education.
Science Magazine - Sacha Vignieri
Thoughtful inspiring and informative, this Canadian book will stimulate children to want to head out the door and look for Monarch butterflies.
A book for children to learn about monarch butterflies, their lifecycle and the benefits of monarch butterflies to the environment. Includes step-by-step instructions for raising your own crop of butterflies in your home. Great for nature lovers young and old alike.
Metro Family Magazine (Oklahoma) - Mari Farthing
Pasternak's clear explanations for each stage of raising a monarch are paired with rich, colourful photographs that make you want to run outside and explore. This text is simple enough for 8-year-olds and engaging enough for teenagers; self-contained enough to support a brand new enthusiast and detailed enough to include interesting facts for an experienced butterfly raiser. And both bug enthusiasts and avoiders will find the step-by-step instructions easy to follow for your month long journey. Also, there are suggestions of organizations or web links to go to for further information. A great resource for teachers and an engaging classroom library addition.
Canadian Teacher - Amanda Forbes
A vivid and concise guidebook that anyone, not just educators or parents, would find beneficial in their butterfly-raising endeavors. Full of butterfly insights and mind-boggling facts, it offers something to learn for everyone. From finding caterpillars and avoiding common predators to tracking your adult butterflies by utilizing citizen science efforts, this book leaves no leaf unturned when it comes to raising your very own Monarch butterflies. Even gardeners would find this book useful, as it includes tips for creating butterfly-centric gardens.
Green Teacher - Julie Travaglini
Trust me — this is one of those books that belongs in every school and public library.
Bookends: A Booklist Online Blog - Cindy Dobrez and Lynn Rutan
This guide for raising monarch butterflies gives clear directions accompanied by good, helpful, and beautiful photographs.... The book is well written, well illustrated, and very inviting. Readers will certainly want to try rearing monarchs after reading it. It is simple enough for young children, but not too simple for interested adults. Thus, the book should find a wide audience. I would recommend it for classrooms, libraries, and the general reader.
Science Books and Films - Linda Wiener
Learn everything you need to know about the monarch life cycle and how to find and raise monarchs from egg to adult butterfly. You will even learn how to cultivate a butterfly garden full of monarchs. The book features many beautiful photographs of the fascinating insect, but soon you'll be able to take some of your own. So don't forget a camera!
Green Books Time Magazine (Time for Kids)
Pasternak has written a clear, practical and family-friendly guide to raising butterflies, which includes plenty of compelling scientific information along the way and ends by explaining what we can do to save their habitat.
Washington Post - Julie Eilperin
Carol Pasternak provides an easy-to-follow guide for children to participate in the life cycle of these beautiful insects.
A perfect gift.
Tampa Bay Times - Monica Brandies
An incredibly satisfying family activity that can encourage youngsters to look at nature with inquisitive, open eyes, raising monarch butterflies is an easy, outdoor pursuit. Pasternak's approachable book will certainly help families be rewarded with the wonder of metamorphosis.
Waste Management World - Lee Littlewood
An exquisite step-by-step guide... This book is the perfect summer companion for a young nature enthusiast!
Canadian Children's Book News - Amanda Cannon
A step-by-step guide for children who are interested in the natural world. The book contains beautiful photographs illustrating the various stages of butterfly development. It is written in kid-friendly language and best of all, helps to enlarge the monarch population in your area. The book tells where to look for monarch eggs or larvae and how to care for and cultivate this magnificent insect.
National Gardening Association - Kim Haworth
Everything you ever wanted to know about the Monarch Butterfly and more... Helpful photographs on each page show what to look for. Not just for kids.
One of the most remarkable changes in nature is how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, and this book, filled with beautiful photographs, tells kids how that change takes place and why it's so important for the environment. The book's easy-to-follow instructions, from finding caterpillars or monarch eggs to caring for them, will inspire you.
Washington Post - Tracy Grant
Written in kid-friendly language.... The photography is outstanding. Parents and grandparents looking for something to do with the kids this summer should consider this great backyard project. Incredibly detailed, Pasternak's guide also spills with facts, close-ups and great websites to scour.
Waterloo Region Record - Jon Fear
Gr 4 Up—The monarch butterflies that hatch in the early summer live for two to three weeks, and a female can lay between 400 and 500 eggs. Collecting these eggs or the newly hatched caterpillars and providing them with milkweed leaves-their main food-can help increase the number of late summer and early fall monarchs that live for eight or nine months and make the autumn migration to Mexico. This breezy and down-to-earth text ("greenish poops-called frass") presents mostly generalizations but nicely communicates the wonder of the transformative nature of this species. Especially effective is the eight-picture depiction of the development of the caterpillar into a chrysalis. The full-color photographs are crisp and sharp for the most part and illustrate the life cycle of the monarch and the many tasks that have to be done to ensure that the caterpillars thrive and become butterflies. This work-intensive activity might be better suited to students in a classroom than an individual at home. With so many similar books about the life cycle of the monarch and related crafts and activities, this title becomes an additional purchase.—Frances E. Millhouser, formerly at Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA
