Monarch Butterflies Explore the Life Journey of One of the Winged Wonders of the World

Monarchs are a favorite and familiar North American butterfly, and their incredible annual migration has captured the popular imagination for generations. As populations of monarchs decline dramatically due to habitat loss and climate change, interest in and enthusiasm for protecting these beloved pollinators has skyrocketed. With easy-to-read text and colorful, engaging illustrations, Monarch Butterflies presents young readers with rich, detailed information about the monarchs’ life cycle, anatomy, and the wonders of their signature migration, as well as how to raise monarchs at home and the cultural significance of monarchs in Day of the Dead celebrations. As the book considers how human behavior has harmed monarchs, it offers substantive ways kids can help make a positive difference. Children will learn how to turn lawns into native plant gardens, become involved in citizen science efforts such as tagging migrating monarchs and participating in population counts, and support organizations that work to conserve butterflies.

Ann Hobbie is the chair of the board of directors at the Monarch Joint Venture, a national partnership of federal and state agencies, non-governmental organizations, businesses, and academic programs working together to conserve the monarch butterfly migration. She has more than 20 years of experience teaching children, training teachers, and writing curriculum related to monarchs, schoolyard ecology, and schoolyard gardening. Hobbie holds an MA in curriculum and instruction. In addition to working with children and teachers, she specialized in education policy for a nonprofit helping the public understand and support public education in Minnesota. She lives in St. Paul.