A Place for Butterflies by: Melissa Stewart (nonfiction)

This book is a great introduction to butterflies and their environments for elementary students. It focused on the idea that different butterflies rely on specific habitats to survive and that humans can affect these habitats. Stewart presents eleven different species of butterflies that students may encounter in the environment. She describes the ways butterflies act as pollinators and the role they play in the food chain. The book also provides ways students can help protect butterflies and their habitats.


I would love to use this book with students in a science lesson about butterflies and their life stages. I would read this book to students, then talk about how caterpillars form into butterflies.  I could try to have real caterpillars and their cocoons in the classroom for children to observe this transformation on a firsthand basis. Students would keep a science journal where they observe and note any changes that have taken place each day.  This would be a great learning experience for children and this book could act as a helpful tool when teaching about butterflies.