Butterfly House, written by Eve Bunting and illustrated by Greg Shed, is a sentimental story about a young girl and her grandfather who raise a butterfly from a larva. The book walks through the life stages of the butterfly and also the aging of the young girl into an old woman. The beautiful illustrations of the larva, the butterfly’s home, the butterfly, and people are captivating. In the back of the book, there are directions on how to raise your own butterfly.
Curriculum Connections
The Butterfly House can be used to teach students that animals go through a series of orderly changes as they grow and mature (VA SOL 2.4). This book may also be used to teach students about changes in an organism’s niche at various stages in its life cycle (VA SOL 4.5e).
Additional Resources
Kids can color their own Butterfly Life Cycle worksheet as well as find out more about Rearing butterflies on The Butterfly Site.
View images of butterflies in the Butterfly galleries, sorted by family and geographic region.
Learn about gardening to attract butterflies.
Make a butterfly life cycle mobile.
General Information
Book: Butterfly House
Author: Eve Bunting
Illustrator: Greg Shed
Publisher: Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date: 1999
Pages: 32
Grade Range: K-5
ISBN: 0590849085