#365PictureBooks 47. Caterpillar Butterfly by Vivian French, illustrated by Charlotte Voake

French, V. (1993). Caterpillar Butterfly. London, UK: Walker Books.

ISBN: 9781406312775
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Non-fiction
Rating: 4 stars

---------------

Caterpillar Butterfly is part of Walker Books Nature Storybooks collection.  Although this and Big Blue Whale (from yesterday's review) have been around for quite a while, they are still a great example of non-fiction narrative books for our younger readers, and provide relevant information on their chosen topic. 

Vivian French tells us the story of when she was a young girl and she and her grandfather watched a family of caterpillars turn into butterflies.  It clearly describes what the different stages are that she is observing, and is presented in a way that younger children can understand.

The book is told in two parts - Vivian's story which is the main text, and lots of facts about the life-cycle of a butterfly, how to tell the difference between them, and the types of food the caterpillars like to eat.

Voake's illustrations are done in muted tones, predominantly green and yellow, on a pale yellow washed background.  The text fits in and around the images of Vivian, her grandpa and the plants that the caterpillars are living on.

My only disappointment is that the text used for the facts is quite hard to read.  Students will struggle to decipher it if they are reading it on their own.  The main body of text has been presented nice & clearly, using double-line spacing and with a language that children will understand.

There is also a simple index at the back, which has been presented on a page of different butterflies and their common names. 

A lovely read-aloud for pleasure with your child or to explain about the life-cycle of a butterfly.  It is also a brilliant teaching tool for use with non-fiction narrative, and descriptive text, particularly for the teachers of our year 3 & 4 students.

I got my copy of Caterpillar Butterfly from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

Oops, I couldn't find a copy at Napier Libraries.