Tag Archives: Life Cycles

Elem. – Life Cycles (Series NF)

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Life Cycles. The Child’s World, 2023. $24.95 each or $299.40 for Set of 12. Grades 2-4.

Merritt, Robin. The Life Cycle of a Butterfly. 978-1-5038-5837-4.
—. The Life Cycle of a Chicken. 978-1-5038-5842-8.
—. The Life Cycle of a Frog. 978-1-5038-5838-1.
—. The Life Cycle of a Human. 978-1-5038-5870-1.
—. The Life Cycle of a Polar Bear. 978-1-5038-5844-2.
—. The Life Cycle of a Snake. 978-1-5038-5843-5.

Owens, L.L. The Life Cycle of a Clown Fish. 978-1-5038-5841-1.
—. The Life Cycle of a Daisy. 978-1-5038-5869-5.
—. The Life Cycle of a Fern. 978-1-5038-5871-8.
—. The Life Cycle of a Ladybug. 978-1-5038-5872-5.
—. The Life Cycle of a Snail. 978-1-5038-5840-4.
—. The Life Cycle of an Earthworm. 978-1-5038-5839-8.

The Life Cycle series provides readers with information on a variety of plant and animal life cycles. The reviewer read the titles The Life Cycle of a Butterfly and The Life Cycle of a Clown Fish. The Life Cycle of a Butterfly provides information on the transformation from an egg, to a caterpillar, to a butterfly, ending back with the egg. Readers explore the detailed information on the butterfly life cycle, with detailed text, up-close photographs, and bonus facts and charts. The Life Cycle of a Clown Fish provides information on the clown fish species’ life cycle. While there are several different types of clown fish, they all go through the same life cycle. Readers will explore this interesting transformation, with detailed text, beautiful photographs, and bonus facts and charts.

THOUGHTS: An extremely well written and detailed life cycle series on popular plants and animals. This series is unique, as it discusses animals and plants that are popular, but not necessarily discussed.

583-636.5 Plants & Animals

Elem. – What’s Inside a Caterpillar Cocoon? and Other Questions About Moths and Butterflies

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Ignotofsky, Rachel. What’s Inside a Caterpillar Cocoon? and Other Questions About Moths and Butterflies. Crown Books for Young Readers, 2023. 978-0-593-17657-3. 40 p. $18.99. Grades K-3. 

Although libraries may already have several titles about the life cycles of butterflies, this book stands out thanks to its stunning illustrations and visually appealing layout. Simple sentences compare and contrast butterflies and moths and share interesting information, such as the fact that these animals have been flying the earth since the time of the dinosaurs. Clearly labeled diagrams explain the four life stages of butterflies and moths: egg, caterpillar, pupa, and adult. Additional descriptions also walk readers through the changes that occur inside a butterfly chrysalis and a moth cocoon. Full-page images of the animals’ anatomy highlight their similarities and differences, and captions describe how their wing patterns help the insects camouflage themselves or confuse potential predators. Readers will linger over the beautiful illustrations, featuring many shades of green, yellow, and orange. Varied typefaces, labels, and speech bubbles break the text into easy-to-digest segments. The final page features suggested extension activities such as visiting local national parks to find out what kinds of butterflies and moths live nearby, adding plants to your yard to attract pollinators, and visiting a natural history museum to see butterfly and moth specimens up close. 

THOUGHTS: This is one of the most eye-catching nonfiction titles I’ve ever seen. Not only will readers return for the poster-quality illustrations, but they will also be hooked by the inviting and conversational textual layout. 

595.78 Moths and Butterflies 

Elem. – Becoming Charley

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DiPucchio, Kelly. Becoming Charley. Illustrated by Loveis Wise. Alfred A. Knopf, 2023. 978-0-593-42904-4. Unpaged. $18.99. Grades K-2.

Among a forest full of young caterpillars eating milkweed “just as they’d been taught to do” is Charley who would rather admire the trees, clouds, and stars. Despite his elders scolding him to focus on becoming a big, strong butterfly, Charley wonders if it might be nice to be a spotted fawn or a waterfall. Despite daily lessons – “Think black. Think orange. Think black. Think orange.” and “This. Not that!” Charley is distracted by the sun, the wildflowers, the mountains, and the turquoise sea. When each caterpillar forms its chrysalis, everyone is excited, but Charley feels unsure. Will Charley remember to “Think black. Think orange.” or will the other colors and shapes of nature fill his mind? As millions of butterflies take to the skies in summer, Charley emerges.

THOUGHTS: Charley is determined to be an individual, focusing on the things he loves instead of what others expect of him. Wise’s beautiful illustrations bring to life this story of being true to oneself, even when you’re forging your own path. Young readers will appreciate the detailed digital illustrations and love learning about the life cycle of a butterfly.

Picture Book

Elem. – Before We Stood Tall

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Kulekjian, Jessica. Before We Stood Tall. Kids Can, 2021. 978-1-525-30324-1. Unpaged. 19.99. Grades K-3.

Youngsters are sure to gravitate to this lovely picture book that presents a new spin on how a tree grows. Rather than show how an acorn becomes a mighty tree, Kulekjian reverses the process. Slowly, her impactful prose, paired with soft watercolor art by Madeline Kloepper, traces the mighty trees in the forest back to seeds in the earth. But the story doesn’t end there. Kulekjian explains mysteries of the earth itself and the root structure of trees and plants. What child won’t be delighted to learn plants are communicating underground? The earth-toned artwork comes alive below ground, with a plethora of creatures, mammal and insect, inhabiting what a child might consider boring dirt. Bones, rocks, and fossils fill the ground, along with roots and plant detritus, inviting images a young reader will need to explore thoroughly. While the text is sparse, each word is obviously chosen with care, conveying scientific concepts in beautiful, child-friendly terms.

THOUGHTS: The book is lovely in both word and images and will be a welcome addition to any picture book collection.

Picture Book          Nancy Nadig, Penn Manor SD

Elem. – Grow

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Macken, JoAnn Early. Grow. Boyds Mill Press, 2021. Unpaged. 978-1-635-92308-7. $17.99. Grades PreK-2.

This charming picture book is all about the wonders of growing up. The story is told in a series of “If you were a…” statements, comparing a child’s development to the life cycles of animals and plants. As a mother and child watch falling acorns, the narrator relates an oak tree growing from a tiny acorn to a small child spreading her roots in the world. Later, a grandfather and his grandsons spot a deer with her fawns running through the woods. Just as a fawn’s first shaky steps develop into a sprint, the wobbly gait of a toddler becomes a confident stride. The delightful illustrations by Coleman are rendered digitally and are the winning elements of the book. For each animal or plant comparison, the child’s clothes take on that appearance. A girl is pictured wearing a green jumper with an orange shirt, mimicking the green shell and orange spots of a turtle, and the acorn watching child wears a beanie that resembles the nut’s cap. On the title page, there is an oak sapling, and on the last page, it has grown into a large tree.

THOUGHTS: While the comparisons in the text are a bit weak at times, the book’s drawings bring them to life. Children will enjoy listening to the story and poring over the details in the pictures. A supplemental purchase.

Picture Book          Denise Medwick, Retired, PSLA Member

Elem. – The Leaf Thief

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Hemming, Alice. The Leaf Thief. 1st American ed., Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, 2021. 978-1-728-23520-2. 32 p. $17.99. Grades K-3.

Squirrel is contently lounging in his tree watching the sun shine through the colorful autumn leaves when he suddenly realizes one of his leaves is missing. He immediately enlists Bird’s help tracking down his missing leaf. He questions Mouse to no avail. The next day, he notices that more leaves are missing! He accuses Woodpecker and even Bird of stealing his leaves, but he soon discovers that there may be another explanation to his missing leaves. A humorous story sure to delight young readers, this would be an excellent choice for a fall read aloud.

THOUGHTS: Endnotes in the book explain some of the science behind the arrival of autumn, making this the perfect introduction to life cycles and the changing seasons. As an added bonus, Squirrel’s exaggerated actions and expressions make for a comical story that is sure to grab the interest of elementary students. This is a solid choice for elementary science collections.

Picture Book          Julie Ritter, PSLA Member

Elem. – Polar Animals (Series NF)

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Jaycox, Jaclyn. Polar Animals. Pebble, 2020. $20.99 ea. $167.92 set of 8. 32 p. Grades K-3. 

Arctic Foxes Are Awesome. 978-1-977-10814-2.
Caribou Are Awesome. 978-1-977-10819-7.
Killer Whales Are Awesome. 978-1-977-10816-6.
Narwhals Are Awesome. 978-1-977-10817-3.
Penguins Are Awesome. 978-1-977-10815-9.
Polar Bears Are Awesome. 978-1-977-10818-0.
Seals Are Awesome. 978-1-977-10820-3.
Snowy Owls Are Awesome. 978-1-977-10821-0.

Narwhals Are Awesome gives readers a glimpse inside the life of a narwhal, one of the Arctic Ocean’s most interesting creatures. Known as the unicorns of the sea, these animals have a long tooth that sprouts through its lip and looks similar to a unicorn’s horn. People hunt narwhals for this exact reason: their tusks are often sold or used to make jewelry. Like dolphins and other whales, narwhals use echolocation to search for their food which they find on the ocean floor. Narwhals can stay underwater for twenty-five minutes before having to return to the surface to breathe air. This means that climate change can be harmful to them; as rising temperatures cause ice to melt, the ice moves while narwhals swim underneath. Sometimes, they can become trapped under the ice and drown. Currently, there are about 75,000 narwhals in the ocean, but they are hard to study given the very chilly climate of their habitats. But one thing is for sure – no other animal is quite like them.

THOUGHTS: As narwhals become more prominent in books and graphic novels (such as the Narwhal and Jelly series by Ben Clanton), younger students have shown an increased interest in these creatures. Full of facts and written in kid-friendly language, this book shows readers what a narwhal’s life is like in the Arctic Ocean while also addressing current event issues like climate change. Students also will enjoy up close and personal photographs of these creatures. Although the critical thinking questions in the back of the book are lacking, other features, such as the list of other nonfiction narwhal books and websites to explore, are valuable. There is even a website focused on STEM-inspired narwhal activities. This book is a perfect nonfiction addition to any elementary library. 

599.5 Narwhals          Danielle Corrao, Ephrata Area SD