Breathtaking watercolor illustrations introduce children to one of nature's miracles, the development and hatching of a butterfly, following the process from the laying of eggs to the emergence of the butterfly from the cocoon. PreSchool-Grade 3-This introduction focuses on the life cycle of the common red admiral butterfly. Brief text describes each stage in its metamorphosis. One or more attractive watercolors illustrate each page. On the whole, they are realistic in style; however, some renditions of the insect's habitat are heavily stylized and too blandly pretty to be natural. A one-page appendix, in smaller print and with a more difficult vocabulary, introduces and defines some scientific terms not employed in the main text, outlines the species' geographic range, and describes major physical characteristics in more detail. While the text is well organized, there are some important omissions. Although the process of molting is described, the term itself is not used, nor does the term "larva" appear anywhere. Also, mating is only alluded to.
