Butterfly Count by Sneed Collard III

by Sneed B. Collard III

A girl joins an annual count. Includes information on butterflies and how to attract and watch them.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

Hardcover

First published March 1, 2002

About the author

Sneed B. Collard III (see also "Sneed B. Collard") is a biologist, world traveler, speaker, and author of almost one hundred books for young people, including the 2024 Orbis Pictus Award winner, Border Crossings (Charlesbridge Publishing). His other recent science titles include Fire Birds; Hopping Ahead of Climate Change; Little Killers; Waiting for a Warbler; Beaver & Otter Get Along . . . Sort of; and the upcoming picture book, Like No Other. Collard holds science degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and U.C. Santa Barbara. He lives in Montana.

Reviews

[Candice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely story about butterflies and their habitats. Amy's great-great grandmather, Nora Belle, saw many regal fritillary butterflies on the prairie during her lifetime, but the butterflies' habitat has been replaced by houses and farms. Amy participates in a butterfly count at the Nora Belle Prairie Restoration Project and discovers the many different varieties of butterflies that inhabit the land. It's a good nature story and at the end there is a colorful guide to all the butterflies Amy saw during the butterfly count. There are also explanations of The Fourth of July Butterfly Count sponsored by the North American Butterfly Association, and how to watch and attract butterflies. A good way to get kids excited about nature in general, and butterflies in particular.

[Y.Poston]

beautiful images

[MotherofReaders · Rating 4 out of 5]

We really liked this sweet story about butterfly identification with underlying themes of family, ancestors who have passed, conservation, and protecting endangered species. It is heavy in specific butterfly names and identification details, and thus may not interest children who do not do any butterfly identification. We always carry a fold-out identification pamphlet on our walks, so this was not a deterrent to my 4 year old.

This book would pair well with a butterfly unit, particularly one that involves identification of species.

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

This text is fun and wonderful. It described the experience of looking for a rare breed of butterfly and the family traditions that came out of it. The fact that the butterfly turned up when the main character visited her family grave just made it all the better. I liked the story and the endnotes about how we can become a part of the butterfly count was great. This was a good book.

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a wonderful, simple story about counting butterflies, preserving natural habitats, and honoring the memory of a loved one. The tale is fiction, but it felt so real and sincere that I thought it was a true story. The illustrations are very nicely detailed and realistic. We really enjoyed reading this story together.

[Seeing · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this with my daughter. The book promoted the idea of wildlife and habitat conservation. At the end of the book are instructions and contact information for participating in a North American Butterfly Count. We were not able to do it this year, but we hope to do it in 2009.