Butterfly Books for Kids

We love watching butterflies and reading books about them too! In fact, I realized that we have over 10 books about butteries in our home library. They are such beautiful creatures and we can’t seem to get enough of them.

I tuck a butterfly book into my purse for our visits to the butterfly garden. I will gather all the butterfly books and placed in a basket next to our caterpillars when we raise butterflies. The kids will sit and read and re-read them all spring and summer!

Consider adding a few butterfly books to your home or school library this year!

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Butterfly Books for Kids

I am a K-12 Reading Master, Certified Teacher. I have read all of these books personally with and to my kids ( I even own a bunch of them too). Always read the reviews and age recommendations of the books to see if they will be a good fit for your child.

These are just a few butterfly books for kids that we have enjoyed. You know your child best!

Butterfly Books for Leveled Readers:

Children first learning to read may often be steered into the level 1, beginning reader books. These books are often found in the early reader section of the library. The books are short in length with simple sentences and strong picture clues. They are often repetitive in nature with words that can be decoded or sounded out.

Be mindful that these books are not for the earliest readers to read independently as they are designed more for the reader with a firm grasp of sounds and how they fit together to make words.

Try the butterfly beginner books out with your child. If your child is sounding out or struggling with more than 3 words on a page, the book is more than likely at their frustration level.

Read it to them a few times. Point out the pictures and match them to the words on the page. As they become comfortable with the story, encourage them to read a page or part of the book with you.

Leveled 3 Readers are designed for the child who is already reading and starting to read for information. The following butterfly books were ones my daughter enjoyed around the 1st-2nd grade level.

National Geographic Readers: Caterpillar to Butterfly
Butterfly Garden
Butterfly Garden (Robin Hill School)
DK Readers L1: Born to Be a Butterfly
I’m a Caterpillar (Scholastic Reader Level 1)

Caterpillars on the Move! (Ready, Freddy! Reader,
National Geographic Readers: Great Migrations Butterflies
From Caterpillar to Butterfly (Let’s-Read-and-Find-Out Science 1)
Flight of the Butterflies (Penguin Young Readers, L3)

Non-Fiction Butterfly Books

Non-fiction books are a great way to teach children about butterflies in a fun way. My children found the Butterfly and Moth guide at a used book store one year. They take it with them outdoors often and use it as a resource to find the names of the butterflies we see.

For young children, these books may be best as a read aloud book with adults. To keep engagement high, consider reading a few pages at a time. Often, non-fiction books are PACKED with information and this can be overwhelming to some young children if they are unfamiliar with the terminology.

Other kids soak up and request non-fiction books as it is a way they can find out more about the world.

DK Eyewitness Books: Butterfly and Moth
Caterpillars, Bugs and Butterflies: Take-Along Guide (Take Along Guides)
Butterflies and Moths
Handbooks: Butterflies & Moths: The Clearest Recognition Guide Available (DK Smithsonian Handbook)

Butterfly Picture Books for Kids

Whether the book is in prose, has your favorite character, or tells the story of a butterfly’s life, these butterfly picture books will sure delight your young reader.

Read a few stories before bedtime and have sweet dreams of butterflies. Grab a few books and read them before you plant some flowers in your garden.

Elmer and Butterfly
Fancy Nancy: Bonjour, Butterfly
A Butterfly Is Patient
Are You a Butterfly? (Backyard Books

The Butterfly Alphabet Book (Jerry Pallotta’s Alphabet Books)
The Amazing Life Cycle of Butterflies (Look and Wonder)
Waiting for Wings (Rise and Shine)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Velma Gratch and the Way Cool Butterfly
Butterflies For Kiri
Butterfly House
Monarch Butterfly

Butterfly Chapter Books for Kids

My daughter was an early and voracious reader. By age 5, picture books were not quenching her thirst for the written word and we began to search out appropriate chapter books. All the books in the Magic School Bus chapter book series are a great combination of adventure with some facts mixed in. They are well written and very dense with rich vocabulary.

The Disney Fairies series is also a nice transition to chapter books for young readers.

We did read all the Butterfly Meadow books too, but they are just so-so. The writing doesn’t flow as nice, and they don’t make your belly roll in laughter or teach you anything. I’d recommend checking them out from your library!

If your child is not reading at chapter book level yet, consider reading a chapter from a book to them every day. Make predictions about what they think will happen next in the story.

Spend a moment the next day reviewing what has happened in the story so far. This will help develop reading comprehension!!!

Butterfly Battle (The Magic School Bus Chapter Book #16)
Prilla And the Butterfly Lie (Disney Fairies)

Butterfly Meadow #1: Dazzle’s First Day
Twinkle Dives In
Three Cheers for Mallow
Skipper to the Rescue (Butterfly Meadow, No. 4)
Butterfly Meadow #5
Dazzle’s New Friend
Butterfly Meadow #6:
Twinkle and the Busy Bee
Joy’s Close Call
Butterfly Meadow #8: Zippy’s Tall Tale

And if you are reading all of these fun butterfly books, you may want to consider raising your very own butterflies too!

Click here for Butterfly Activities to go with these Butterfly books!