How to Raise Monarch Butterflies: A Step-by-Step Guide for Kids (How It Works)

My children, husband and I have been raising and releasing Monarchs for two years now. How I wish I had had this resource when we started! Carol's book is a delight to the brain, the eye, and the heart. It is not only well-written and informative; it is wonderfully organized and absolutely beautifully laid out. It is hard to have a book that is both a quick, satisfying read AND a thorough and easy resource to look back on again and again. Carol has accomplished this. The text is both fun and efficient--perfect for children and even adult beginners. My eldest daughter, who is in early elementary, devoured the book on sight (after wrestling it away from me!) Once they get a small taste, your children (and you!) could easily get hooked on this easy and incredibly satisfying "hobby." Carol will lead your family through the way graciously and thoroughly. And that's just the text and knowledge...if those don't blow you away, the photography will. Many of the shots are taken by the author and her family; she credits the photos taken by others. These are some absolutely amazing images, laid out so nicely. Simple, thought-provoking and inspiring. Once your children have feasted on the thorough but easily digested text and the gorgeous pictures, they'll get a taste of why this "hobby" is so important to their environment and, in all mushy honestly, to their hearts as well. Why collect, raise, and release Monarch butterflies? Many answers, surprising facts, and thoughtful ideas await your family. It'll open your children's hearts to nature and the environment as well, and leave them wanting more--and wanting to do more. Please consider adding this book to your collection (or your children's collection!) in the interest of Monarch butterfly conservation, or just plain old-fashioned science fun and awe. It's a window to the magic and simplicity of nature and a wonderful tribute to the gentle and mystifying Monarch butterfly.

Update: It has been 5 years since finding this book in 2019. In those 5 years, I have raised and released 279 Monarchs! I have purchased numerous copies of this book to give as gifts to people who are interested in Monarchs. They don't have to raise them, just planting flowers Monarchs prefer or some milkweed is very helpful. I donate a lot milkweed seeds to the city I live in. (I gave them two, 1-gallon ice cream pails filled with seeds last year from the 317 milkweed plants in my yard.) They spread the seeds around city property to help the Monarchs and other pollinators. I have learned a lot and had fun raising Monarch butterflies! This book is FANTASTIC!!! The step-by-step guide is for ANYONE (not just kids) interested in helping to increase the Monarch population. I didn't realize until I read the book, that only 1 in 100 Monarch eggs in the wild survive to to become a butterfly. There are actual photos (not artwork / drawings) that are terrific and very helpful in following the step-by-step guide. The text in the book is easy to understand for either kids or adults, while not talking down to adults (I am over 50). I bought the book in June and have so far already raised and released six (6) Monarch butterflies (3 - females and 3 - males) with more in various stages of growth. Yes, the book even shows you how to determine the sex of the Monarch butterfly. To raise Monarchs from egg to caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly has been a lot of fun and a great learning experience for me. I highly recommend this book, How to Raise Monarch Butterflies: A Step-by-Step Guide for Kids (How It Works) by Carol Pasternak.

This is a wonderful book for adults. I know it states that it is a children’s book, but the graphics and the explanation of how to raise monarch butterflies is exemplary and easy to understand. Last summer I raised monarch butterflies, because in my area they are becoming endangered and I successfully went from catapillar to monarch butterfly and released 31 beautiful monarch butterflies back into the wild. I purchased this book for a friend who wants to try raising a few butterflies this summer. I also have a five-year-old grandson who loves to look at this book, because the graphics and explanation are so easy for him to understand, but my friend who received it as a gift, was just as excited to see how easy it was to understand and she loved all the beautiful graphics in the book. I highly recommend this book and will probably re-purchase it for other friends who are interested in butterflies.

I raised monarchs and swallowtails by default on my rooftop garden for years. Craziest most awesome miracle ever. We moved. We now have a land garden and you don’t get to witness as much. This book is accurate, well written and informative for practical purposes and readers of all ages. If you plant the right material, you will have butterflies.

Excellent book! Bought several to share with a "Citizens Science Club" we're starting for 6th graders.

This book is a wonderful presentation of the life cycle of the Monarch Butterfly for kids and young adults. As an adult, I still found information that I had not previously known about the Monarch. The chronology of the material being presented is appropriate; however, the book was lacking a better pictorial presentation for kids on how to raise Monarchs. Resource material was a pleasant surprise and will become helpful in furthering your study of the Monarch. There is an underlying thread throughout the book regarding the preservation of this magnificent creature which I appreciated, and will become a member myself, of any one of the organizations presented in the book toward this goal.

Very informative great photos easy to read perfect intro for primary grade school students

This book is amazing!

This is a lovely book packed with photographs, and would be an excellent addition to a classroom or home library. In short, simple chapters, it shows you how to find and identify milkweed plants, locate the monarch eggs or caterpillars, and successfully raise them and release the butterflies. There is a close up examination of the monarch life cycle, a look at predators and threats to the monarch, a brief discussion of the amazing monarch migration, and a nice section on creating a butterfly garden. The information is simple enough to use with a child, but would also be a good introduction for adults interested in this hobby.

Ojalá encontrara cosas tan lindas en español!!!

I bought this for my grandson after listening to a guest speaker tell how she used the book as a guide to raising Monarch Butterflies with her grandchildren. Beautiful photos and steps and suggestions for raising Monarch Butterflies at home. Perfect for my environmentally conscious grandson and his parents who have chosen natural gardening.

A very engaging and competent book, written with obvious passion for the subject and particularly suitable for inspiring a love of Nature among the young. Carol is to be complimented on her superb, razor-sharp, photography. I had the pleasure of meeting her while on a ramble in our local ravine and, just because of this, I was able to find three monarch eggs; one of which I managed to raise to adulthood (the two others were apparently eaten by the survivor). Thank you Carol - I must contact you and ask if you'll inscribe my copy to my grandson!

Super educational and easy to read!