Butterfly Tree

Description

The mystery and magic of monarch butterfly migration is revealed in a sensitive, eloquent mother-daughter story. One late afternoon in early September, Jilly sees something unusual. It looks like it's raining black pepper from a clear blue sky. Then the black rain becomes a wispy mist. And then a shimmering orange cloud. What can it be? Jilly and Mom set out to identify the mysterious orange cloud. The closer they get, the more curious Jilly becomes. Gradually, the hidden world of nature opens to mother and daughter. This imaginative description of monarch butterfly migration from author Sandra Markle reminds us that a loving parent can empower a child to discover the mysteries of the natural world-and to enjoy that discovery again and again.

Sandra Markle is the author of more than two hundred books for children. She has won numerous awards, including the Prize for Excellence in Science Books given by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Book, and the Charlotte Zolotow Award. She has also developed science specials for CNN and PBS. Through her affiliation with the National Science Foundation, Markle traveled extensively in Antarctica and developed one of the first online educational programs. She lives in Florida. Leslie Wu grew up in upstate New York and received a BFA from Rochester Institute of Technology. She is a fine artist and the illustrator of the New York Times best-seller The Very Best Daddy of All. She lives in Washington.

"This is an excellent wedding of evocative text and dreamy, misty art in a book as much about making memories as it is about the butterflies' flight."-Booklist "The text reads aloud smoothly, suiting this especially well for use with a group. . . Even collections with many monarch titles will want to add this one for its masterful evocation of a child's sense of wonder at the natural world."-Kirkus Reviews "Wu's double-page impressionist pastel drawings in smudged tones of vivid orange, yellow green, blue, and deep brown echo the dreamlike quality of the narrative."-School Library Journal