Are you looking for some Butterfly children’s books to use in your classroom that include literacy extension activities? This list may be just what you are looking for!
Butterfly children’s book are filled with some exciting literacy experiences to explore. You may have had the opportunity to read some of these butterfly books already, but hopefully some will be a new adventure for you and your kids. Whether you love the butterflies or not, try these engaging books and some of the extension activities suggested.
1. Caterpillar to Butterfly by Laura Marsh
This National Geographic Book gives kids an up-close look at exactly how a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. It also includes information about different types of butterfly and poisonous caterpillars.
The books magnificent images capture the insect’s beautiful colors and patterns found on both the caterpillar and butterfly. Great informational text for kids to learn all about butterflies!
Literacy Extensions:
- Classroom Book: “All About Butterflies
- I See Butterflies Number & Color Word Student Booklet
- Butterfly Paper Plate Art Project
- Butterfly Counting Math Games
2. It’s a Butterfly’s Life Cycle by Irene Kelly
There are more than 17,000 kinds of butterflies in the world. Some of them will only live for a few days. Others will migrate thousands of miles to winter in a warmer climate.
This nonfiction book introduces children to exciting details about the butterfly’s life cycle. The watercolor illustrations are clear and vibrant. Many kinds of butterflies are shown and clearly labeled to allow children to understand our complex natural world.
Literacy Extensions:
- Classroom Book: A Butterflies Life
- A Butterfly’s Life Cycle Graphic Organizer
- Butterfly Symbol & Sound Match Game
- Butterfly Roll & Cover Dice Math Game
3. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
One sunny Sunday, the caterpillar was hatched out of a tiny egg. He was very hungry. On Monday, he ate through one apple; on Tuesday, he ate through three plums, and still he was hungry. When full at last, he made a cocoon around himself and went to sleep, to wake up a few weeks later wonderfully transformed into a butterfly!
The brilliantly story and artwork of Eric Carle has dramatized the story of one of nature’s commonest yet loveliest marvels, the metamorphosis of the butterfly.
Literacy Extensions:
- Classroom Book: “Butterflies”
- Student Booklet: “I See Butterflies”
- Butterfly Counting: How Many Butterflies BOOM Cards
- My Butterfly Story: Student Worksheets
4. Born to Be a Butterfly by Karen Wallace
Witness the magical transformation as a newly hatched caterpillar becomes a beautiful Red Admiral Butterfly. This colorful book uses illustrations and breathtaking photos to build an appreciation of butterflies.
The story is engaging and easy-to-read stories and is guaranteed to capture and delight the imagination of any child. It is intended to help develop reading skills and general knowledge to build a lifelong love of reading.
Literacy Extensions:
- Butterfly Literature List
- Butterfly Story Parts: Student Worksheet
- Butterfly Roll I! Read It! Short Vowels
- Umbrella Paper Plate Project
5. From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heiligman
A caterpillar comes to school in a jar and the class watches the caterpillar each day as it grows and changes. Soon, it disappears into a hard shell called a chrysalis. Where did it go? This is a perfect beginner’s guide to the mystery of metamorphosis.
Named as a NSTA/CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children, this book explains the life cycle from caterpillar to butterfly with easy-to-follow prose from the author and warm, colorful illustrations from illustrator Bari Weissman.
Literacy Extensions:
- Butterfly Word Bank
- Butterfly Story Sequencing Student Worksheet
- Butterfly Life Cycle Booklet
- Butterfly Number & Ten Frames
6. A Butterfly’s Life by Ellen Lawrence
A young child from the northern United States spots a Monarch butterfly laying eggs and keeps watch as the eggs hatch and the new caterpillars munch away on leaves. Readers will follow along as the narrator observes the butterflies’ behavior up close, including the amazing metamorphosis of caterpillars into adult Monarch butterflies and their migration to Mexico.
Colorful photos, diagrams, and clear, age-appropriate text will engage young readers as they explore the life cycle, natural habitat, physical characteristics, diet, and behavior of these beautiful insects. The diary format models scientific observation and critical thinking, and encourages children to keep notebooks recording their own investigations into the natural world.
Literacy Extensions:
- “Butterflies Life Cycle” Classroom Book
- Butterfly Literature Retelling Organizer Student Page
- Butterfly Make a Short Vowel Word Game
- Butterfly Roll & Cover Math Games
7. Caterpillars to Butterflies by Bobbie Kalman
An informational text that shows the life cycle of a butterfly. The author explains in simple terms the transformation from pupa to chrysalis to butterfly.
The story is beautifully illustrated and also takes a close up look at the caterpillar as one of nature’s eating machines. It also shows why monarchs fly 4,000 miles after metamorphosis.
Literacy Extensions:
- “All About Butterflies” Classroom Book
- Butterfly Make a Short Vowel Word
- Butterfly Sight Word Game
- Butterfly Build 2 Addend Addition Number Sentences
8. Becoming Butterflies by Anne Rockwell
One day Miss Dana brings a surprise to school, three striped caterpillars and a flowerpot full of milkweed. Her students can’t believe that these tiny, wriggling creatures less than an inch long will grow into butterflies, fragile beauties strong enough to fly thousands of miles to their winter home in Mexico.
And so begins a magical month of metamorphosis. The children observe and draw the changes they see as the caterpillars transform themselves right before their eyes. When the newly formed butterflies break free of their chrysalises, it is time for the class to let them go find their place in the world.
This captivating concept book simply and eloquently invites young children to witness and celebrate the cycle of life.
Literacy Extensions:
- Butterfly Student Report
- Butterfly Patterns BOOM Cards
- Butterfly Letter & Sound Match Game
- Butterfly Numbers & Ten Frames Math Game
Finally, there are so many Butterfly children’s books you can choose from. From Butterfly fiction to nonfiction, the list of books is endless. Remember to pick the books that best fit the needs of your students or children and support your learning activities. Happy Reading!
Find some more literacy and extension activities in my store, The Teaching Scene by Maureen.
To read more blog topics check out my blog, “A Guide to Using Literature-Based Units of Study.”
