The Best Children’s Books About Butterflies: Reviewed and Ranked

Written by Angie Menjivar
Updated: April 4, 2023
© iStock.com/McKinneMike

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As you embark on your search for the best children’s books about butterflies, you’ll find there are many authors and illustrators devoted to creating incredible works kids can enjoy. Some books are really entertaining, with helpful rhymes and funny storylines. Others are more geared toward being educational and can help your kids get a real look into actual photographs of the different types of butterflies that exist. They can even learn the differences between butterflies and moths.

Other books incorporate fiction and fantasy while also teaching a little bit of math. If you have a butterfly-obsessed kiddo and you want to teach them about math, that type of book is a godsend. Some stories are perfect because the metamorphosis of a butterfly is a metaphor that children can find inspirational as they go through changes in life. You always have the option to go toward something that is really educational for maybe some junior scientists, and you can also explore deep life lessons encased within beautifully illustrated works.

Here, we highlight a few of these books, incorporating different themes and reading levels. We also provide a short guide on how to choose the right book, explaining the types of butterfly children’s books. Finally, we explain how to attract and grow your own butterflies and answer your most frequently asked questions.

  1. My, Oh My--A Butterfly!: All About Butterflies
    • 48 pages.
    • Customers recommend this book for children ages 3 through 6.
    • Part of the Cat in the Hat's Learning Library.
    Check Amazon
  2. Butterflies and Moths
    • 12 pages.
    • Recommended for children ages 2 through 6.
    • Part of the Smithsonian Kids First Discovery series of books.
    Check Amazon
  3. Ten Magic Butterflies
    • 40 pages.
    • Customers recommend this book for children ages 2 through 5.
    • Part of the McKellar Math series of books.
    Check Amazon
  4. Becoming a Butterfly
    • 28 pages.
    • A relatively new publication, having been published in 2021.
    • A story about wisdom, honesty, and patience.
    Check Amazon
  5. Butterflies for Kids: A Junior Scientist’s Guide to the Butterfly Life Cycle and Beautiful Species to Discover
    • 82 pages.
    • Customers recommend this book for children ages 5 through 9.
    • Part of the Junior Scientists series of books.
    Check Amazon

A-Z Animals Top Picks for Children’s Book About Butterflies

#1 Best Overall: My, Oh My — A Butterfly!: All About Butterflies by Tish Rabe (Author), Aristides Ruiz (Illustrator), and Joe Mathieu (Illustrator)

The best overall children’s book about butterflies is My, Oh My — A Butterfly!: All About Butterflies by Tish Rabe (Author), Aristides Ruiz (Illustrator), and Joe Mathieu (Illustrator).

This book is part of the Cat in the Hat learning library. It’s a hardcover picture book that’s also available in Kindle and paperback versions. It tells a rhyming story about Sally and Dick, who observe a butterfly in their own backyard. They watch the metamorphosis that goes from an egg into a caterpillar and then into a chrysalis, ending up becoming a brightly colored butterfly. They get a little help from Cat in the Hat along the way. Young readers, along with Sally and Dick, begin learning how butterflies are able to perceive thousands of images all at once and also how they drink nectar from flowers.

The book goes on to explain how butterflies avoid predators and how they can be identified by their shape, size, and color. Your young reader will also be able to follow along with the amazing migration of millions of monarchs. If you are someone who loved everything Dr. Seuss-related and would like to pass on that same love of these books to your children, you can’t go wrong with this one. The story is easy to follow, the illustrations are bright and engaging, and the rhyming verses are perfect for keeping young children entertained.

However, some customers have reported that some parts of the text are a little too difficult for very young readers.

Pros and Cons of My, Oh My — A Butterfly!: All About Butterflies by Tish Rabe (Author), Aristides Ruiz (Illustrator), and Joe Mathieu (Illustrator)

ProsCons
This book is a picture book that explores the metamorphosis of a caterpillar to a butterfly.Some parts of the text are too difficult for very young children.
It explains how butterflies can be identified by shape, size, and color.
It explores how butterflies drink nectar from flowers.
There are Kindle, hardcover, and paperback editions available.
Best Overall
My, Oh My--A Butterfly!: All About Butterflies
  • 48 pages.
  • Customers recommend this book for children ages 3 through 6.
  • Part of the Cat in the Hat's Learning Library.
Check Amazon

2. Best Educational Book: Butterflies and Moths by Rose Nestling

In our opinion, the best educational book is Butterflies and Moths by Rose Nestling.

This book is written more as an educational piece that helps children learn all about butterflies. They can touch, read, and discover all the different butterflies and moths within the pages of this board book. Since it’s a board book, your kiddo will get to interact more than they would if it was just a paperback. For example, your young reader will experience the embossed textures along with super bright and detailed photographs from Smithsonian. If you have a preschooler or a kindergartner, this book is perfect. It helps in a variety of different ways, not just by teaching all about butterflies and moths, but also by helping your kiddo engage both verbally and with tactile learning skills.

Your little one has likely spotted one or two butterflies in your yard and with this book, they’ll learn about the differences between butterflies and moths, and they’ll also learn about the lifecycle of a monarch butterfly. The book is riddled with fun facts like how butterflies use their bodies to protect themselves and how they’re able to blend in with their environment. Along the way, your kids can use their fingertips to follow along with all of the textured parts throughout the book. Even the littlest butterfly enthusiast can enjoy this book, delving into a learning experience along with some play!

Pros and Cons of Butterflies and Moths by Rose Nestling

ProsCons
This is a board book that allows children to discover butterflies and moths.None
It has embossed textures to help encourage children to engage and learn.
It features bright and detailed images.
It includes several facts about butterflies, such as how they blend in with their environment.
Best Educational Book
Butterflies and Moths
  • 12 pages.
  • Recommended for children ages 2 through 6.
  • Part of the Smithsonian Kids First Discovery series of books.
Check Amazon

3. Best Math-Focused: Ten Magic Butterflies by Danica McKellar

If you want to teach math in a butterfly book then Ten Magic Butterflies by Danica McKellar is perfect for young, learning minds.

This book is all about butterflies, fairies, and magic. The book is encased within a math-focused picture book that helps your kiddo learn a little bit of math, explore a little bit of magic, and learn a little bit about butterflies. In this book, each flower turns into a butterfly and your kids can explore different ways to group numbers to create a total of 10. This is an essential building block of math that children need to learn, and they get to learn it all while watching each flower’s dream come true.

There’s a caterpillar in this book too! Although it’s not based on the lifecycle of butterflies and instead plays on magic and fiction, it has a wonderful storyline that children can enjoy while learning some basic components of math. Consider this a way to jump-start your kid’s interest in math while enjoying a fantasy story. There is a lot of joy in learning how to count and when you pair it with beautiful art and a catchy storyline, what you get is a very well-executed counting book. The book was written by New York Times best-selling author Danica McKeller, who also wrote Goodnight, Numbers (which pairs nicely with this butterfly book)!

However, although this is a cute story, reviewers do not think that it focuses much on maths.

Pros and Cons of Ten Magic Butterflies by Danica McKellar

ProsCons
This is a picture book that helps children learn how to count to ten.Reviewers don’t think it focuses much on maths.
Is is a good way to jump-start your child’s education.
It allows children to learn in a fun manner.
It is written by a New York Times best-selling author.
Best Math-Focused
Ten Magic Butterflies
  • 40 pages.
  • Customers recommend this book for children ages 2 through 5.
  • Part of the McKellar Math series of books.
Check Amazon

4. Best Becoming Story: Becoming a Butterfly by Robert McNaughton (Author), Hameo Pham (Illustrator), and Jenna Romero (Contributor)

The becoming story of a butterfly is a fantastic metaphor that even young children can understand. That’s why we recommend Becoming a Butterfly by Robert McNaughton (Author), Hameo Pham (Illustrator), and Jenna Romero (Contributor).

This Becoming a Butterfly paperback book is a story about being able to overcome all of the mental and physical challenges that come with growing up. Sometimes, when kids think of growing up, they either get excited or they feel really distressed. Being that growing up is inevitable, teaching them how a caterpillar overcomes the process of becoming a butterfly can help your little one learn to navigate the challenges that arise in his or her own life.

This book highlights a couple of important concepts and tools, including patience, honesty, wisdom, courage, hope, faith, and love. Your kiddo is sure to become enamored with this caterpillar and will get curious about following his journey through life. When the story ends, your kids realize that becoming a butterfly is a beautiful process, even though it might seem like a scary and daunting task at first. The book is 28 pages in length and delivers a positive message in a really engaging and creative way.

Pros and Cons of Becoming a Butterfly by Robert McNaughton (Author), Hameo Pham (Illustrator), and Jenna Romero (Contributor)

ProsCons
This is a story about being able to overcome all of the mental and physical challenges that come with growing up.None
It highlights important concepts and tools, including patience, honesty, wisdom, courage, hope, faith, and love.
It delivers a positive message in an engaging and creative way.
Best Becoming Story
Becoming a Butterfly
  • 28 pages.
  • A relatively new publication, having been published in 2021.
  • A story about wisdom, honesty, and patience.
Check Amazon

5. Best for Junior Scientists: Butterflies for Kids: A Junior Scientist’s Guide to the Butterfly Life Cycle and Beautiful Species to Discover by Lauren Davidson

If you have a junior scientist on your hands, this is the perfect book to buy. It’s best for kids aged six through to nine. This book is all about how caterpillars transform into those gorgeous, graceful, winged butterflies. Kids who love butterflies probably have tons of questions about them like why some butterflies have more of a plain design while others have intricate designs on each of their wings. Butterflies for Kids is the source for all those answers.

You can read this with your kids or let them have a go at it on their own. It compiles fascinating facts about butterflies with stunning photos and several different illustrations. Your kiddo will learn about the butterfly lifecycle and all of those unusual behaviors that butterflies engage in. Plus, they’ll also learn about their impressive migrations. If your kid has shown interest in raising their own butterflies, you’ll also get some tips in this book for attracting them and using a kit to accomplish this in your own backyard.

Pros and Cons of Butterflies for Kids: A Junior Scientist’s Guide to the Butterfly Life Cycle and Beautiful Species to Discover by Lauren Davidson

ProsCons
This is a story about how caterpillars change into butterflies.None
It contains fascinating facts about butterflies.
It features stunning photos and illustrations.
This book teaches children the basics about butterfly behavior.
Best for Junior Scientists
Butterflies for Kids: A Junior Scientist’s Guide to the Butterfly Life Cycle and Beautiful Species to Discover
  • 82 pages.
  • Customers recommend this book for children ages 5 through 9.
  • Part of the Junior Scientists series of books.
Check Amazon

Choosing the Best: What to Look For

A quick Internet search reveals the many options you have for books about butterflies written specifically for children. Some explore fantasy, others get down to the nitty-gritty details, and others incorporate extras like different textures and other interactive ways to keep young children engaged. Below are some of the factors you should consider when choosing the right book about butterflies for your kiddo.

Reading Level

This is perhaps the most important consideration when it comes to finding the right book about butterflies for your kids. The reading level is ultimately what determines whether or not your kid will be engaged with the book. Young children can’t handle too much information and will need shorter sentences, some rhymes, and lots of pictures. An older reader may be able to enjoy a short fiction novel about butterflies that stokes their imaginative fires. Fact-based books appeal to children obsessed with the subject matter. The reading level may even challenge them, which can help with reading overall.

Consider the Purpose

When purchasing a children’s book about butterflies, consider why you’re making that purchase. Are you hoping that your kids will pick up the important lesson of metamorphosis? Or are you looking for a book that teaches another skill? Sometimes, you just want to pick up a book that has big, beautiful photos of the different types of butterflies. If that’s the case, make sure that you pick one that incorporates real photos of butterflies.

Extras

When you think about extras, think about rhyming verses within a book that help with engagement. You can also think about board books that include textured pieces to help engage your kid’s tactile learning skills. Books that offer more than just a story stimulate a child’s mind further. There are even butterfly books that incorporate math! There is certainly something for everyone. When you consider all of these factors, you’ll be better prepared to pick up the right book for your child.

The Different Types of Children’s Books About Butterflies

You’ve seen it through your own searches, and you’ve definitely seen it in the list above. There are tons of different types of children’s books about butterflies. Some of the ones we highlighted in this article we explain further below.

Math-Focused

A math-focused book about butterflies can help kids learn about butterflies and math all in one place. Children need some foundational concepts before they can start really understanding the complexity of some math problems. A book like Ten Magic Butterflies helps to teach kids how to group numbers to create a total of 10. This is a foundational concept that can help take kids a lot further in their math classes.

Educational

The other option you have when picking up a children’s book about butterflies is to go for an educational book. These make fact learning engaging, with photographs of butterflies kids can watch for when they’re outside. They give a real look into the lifecycle of butterflies and also cover the great migration of butterflies. While some other books may not delve deeply into facts, an educational book is focused on relaying information to readers.

Fictional

The last type of children’s book about butterflies that you can pick up is a fiction book. These books incorporate fantasy and weave a storyline that is engaging for young readers. However, it won’t be as fact-based as an educational book might be. For example, the fiction novel we highlight in this list is a story about flowers that turn into butterflies. Although there is a relationship between flowers and butterflies, this book incorporates magical themes and changes things up a bit. Fictional stories are great for getting your child’s curiosity moving.

How to Attract and Grow Your Own Butterflies

You may be thinking that a great way to supplement these books is to attract butterflies around your home. To do so, there are a couple of changes you can make, like growing native plants for butterflies. If you’re not sure what a native plant is, you can visit a native plant nursery. Staff there will likely be happy to orient you.

Another thing you can use is a nectar flower. You can get a couple of different nectar flowers and plant them around your home. These are really beautiful, but you have to be very careful when you select them. The third type of plant you can incorporate into your garden is a host plant. In order to pick the right host plant, you need to know which types of butterflies are visiting your garden. Once you do, you can purchase the host plant for them.

Another fantastic activity that you can engage in with your children is to purchase a butterfly growing kit. With a growing kit, you and your kiddo can watch as a caterpillar grows into a butterfly. You’ll experience this up close, and it’s something that your butterfly-obsessed kids will love doing with you. It’s not just a bonding experience, but also an incredibly educational process sure to tantalize your little one’s mind.

About the Author

Angie Menjivar is a writer at A-Z-Animals primarily covering pets, wildlife, and the human spirit. She has 14 years of experience, holds a Bachelor's degree in psychology, and continues her studies into human behavior, working as a copywriter in the mental health space. She resides in North Carolina, where she's fallen in love with thunderstorms and uses them as an excuse to get extra cuddles from her three cats.

The Best Children’s Books About Butterflies: Reviewed and Ranked FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) 

What books have butterflies in them?

There are countless books that have butterflies in them! All the books we mentioned above have butterflies, but there are certainly plenty more that you and your kids can explore.

How do you explain butterflies to preschoolers?

Like with any new subject matter, preschoolers need not just words but also lots of pictures. Helping preschoolers understand through interactive activities is also a fantastic way to help them learn. You may even work with a grow-your-own butterfly kit to help your preschooler see the process in real-time.

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