A Butterfly Is Patient (Aston/Long Nature Books)

by Dianna Hutts Aston (Author) Sylvia Long (Illustrator)

Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

The creators of the award-winning An Egg Is Quiet and A Seed Is Sleepy have teamed up again to create this gorgeous and informative introduction to the world of butterflies.

From iridescent blue swallowtails and brilliant orange monarchs to the worlds tiniest butterfly (Western Pygmy Blue) and the largest (Queen Alexandra's Birdwing), an incredible variety of butterflies are celebrated here in all of their beauty and wonder. Perfect for a child's bedroom bookshelf or for a classroom reading circle!

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Kirkus

Similar butterfly albums abound, but none show these most decorative members of the insect clan to better advantage. (Informational picture book. 8-10) — Kirkus https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/dianna-hutts-aston/butterfly-patient/

Publishers Weekly

Starred Review

This companion to An Egg Is Quiet and A Seed Is Sleepy is as delicate, elegant, and informative as its predecessors. Under headings that echo the book's title ("A butterfly is helpful," "A butterfly is poisonous"), Aston explores the development, habits, migration, and attributes of one of nature's flashier, yet familiar creations. Long's watercolors are precise but enchanting as ever, especially in the "A butterfly is spectacular!" spread, which shows the colorful diversity of more than a dozen specimens, and in another devoted to the migration of monarch butterflies, seen swarming over a quiet desert. A lovely mix of science and wonder. Ages 5-8. (June)

Copyright 2011 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

School Library Journal

Starred Review

K-Gr 3--A companion to the equally stylish An Egg Is Quiet (Chronicle, 2006), this lovely combination of elegant watercolors and lyrical text is both eye-catching and informative. Readers follow the creatures from egg to flight as Aston takes them through the process of metamorphosis while describing various behavioral traits. With wing scales "stacked like shingles on a roof," the butterflies come to life. While noting differences between moths and butterflies, the author makes no mention of the former's "fluffier" antennae, and there is no definition for the term "instar" (which appears in an illustration caption). The Monarch migration gets a star turn, along with a veritable litany of names--Diana Fritillary, Ruddy Daggerwing, Painted Jezebel, and Elbowed Pierrot--as worthy of recitation as the dinosaur appellations so beloved of children. A lyrical, colorful, and elegant production.--Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

Copyright 2011 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"[T]his beautiful book... invites 5- to 10-year-olds to enjoy the variety, complexity and sumptuousness of natural things" - The Wall Street Journal

Dianna Hutts Aston
Dianna Hutts Aston is the author of many books for children and is the founder of the nonprofit foundation for disadvantaged children, The Oz Project. She lives in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Sylvia Long is the illustrator of many best-selling books for children, including Sylvia Long's Mother Goose and Hush Little Baby. She lives in Scottsdale, Arizona, with her husband and their dogs.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780811864794
Lexile Measure
1040
Guided Reading Level
P
Publisher
Chronicle Books
Publication date
May 04, 2011
Series
Aston/Long Nature
BISAC categories
JNF003250 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Animals | Butterflies, Moths & Caterpillars
Library of Congress categories
Butterflies
Beehive Awards
Nominee 2013 - 2013

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