The Prince of Butterflies

Not your typical Bruce Coville book, this was a great piece of fiction that also inadvertently brought the plight of monarch butterflies habitat destruction the reader's attention. The story is completely fiction. There is no Butterfly Road Bill and John Farrington is not actually a pioneering butterfly biologist (I know because after reading this, I checked since I knew I'd be asked if I ever shared this book with anyone else). Still it's a very good book. I can hardly believe this is by the same author that wrote My Teacher is an Alien. The ending was just what I hoped it would be, that last chance he needed to live the butterfly life he so treasured. Highly readable and beautifully illustrated. This book would be a great read aloud.

This picture book is about a boy who helps the monarch butterflies migrate year after year. It tells of his life as a child, as a young adult, and as an old man. It will make students think about the migration of butterflies and how important the earth is to keep them from becoming extinct. This is a very sweet story.

This is a fictional story about a boy who had a magical experience with Monarch butterflies. One day he watched a swarm of butterflies. They began to whisper to him that they needed help. They couldn't find a place to call home because some trucks had destroyed their home to build buildings. They then turned him into a butterfly so he could show them a way to a new field. Eventually he was turned back into a boy and went on to do research about butterflies and how to help them. This fictional story brings up the topic of habitat loss. I would read this book after reading the nonfictional book about butterflies. We would talk about the fictional aspects of the butterflies in this story but also the truth about habitat loss. I enjoyed show more this book because it was entertaining and personified the butterflies so you felt emotions and were drawn to help them. Its a good way to introduce students to environmental issues. show less

I loved this book!! This is a great way to teach students about migration. The story is really cute, but it is not realistic. The majority (not all because butterflies do not talk) information about butterflies in the book is real. It is a story about a boy who communicates with butterflies and turns into a butterfly in order to keep them from becoming extinct. This story is a great attention getter, and it will keep the students interested while informing them about monarch butterflies at the same time.

Genre: Fantasy

Review: this is a good example of fantasy because although monarch butterflies are real and they do migrate, a boy cannot become a butterfly and lead them to safety. It does bring up the subject of conservation and learning about what wildlife need to live.

age app: primary through middle school

media: water color

Theme: One theme of this story is the difficulties and rewards for staying true to one's heart. The reader understands this theme without feeling preached at. Another theme, however, is that of conservation. I can see how this would seem a little preachy, but it is raising an important issue for people to be aware of.

The Prince of the Butterflies teaches a lesson of appreciating nature. John helps butterflies to find a new place to go after their old green space was turned into construction.

I thought this book was interesting because it seems like a true story. The boy was so moved by the visits from the butterflies that he studied them in college, and then, when he is an old man he seemingly dies and becomes a butterfly.

The illustrations are interesting also, they seem to be a mixed media. Some of the pictures were blurry which gave the effect of seeming like there were more butterflies.

Genre: fantasy

This is a good fantasy because the boy becomes a butterfly multiple times throughout his life. That is unrealistic although the information about the migrating butterflies was true. Butterflies do migrate and they are on the verge of extinction because of new buildings.

Setting: The setting was described well in this book. I could imagine the meadow before the bulldozing without the help of the pictures. The colors on the pages helped you make up the place in your own mind because the pictures themselves were not as detailed.

Age Appropriate: primary and intermediate