The Prince of Butterflies

by Bruce Coville, John Clapp (Illustrator)

One summer morning, a flock of butterflies alights on John Farrington's house and changes his life forever. Surrounding John in his yard, the monarchs ask for his help. They have lost their way. The green places are gone--the meadows have become mini-malls; the forests are now parking lots. Can John lead them to another refuge?
Passionate, moving, and inspiring, this glorious flight of fantasy from master storyteller Bruce Coville is a timely fable about the difficulties--and the rewards--of staying true to one’s heart.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

Reviews

[Evan · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little fragmented and preachy. I'd give it 2.5 stars.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute little story. As someone with tryophobia, the pictures/imagery of thousands of butterflies all clustered together freaked me out a tad but overall the book was quite quaint and a decent little read.

[Mary Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an uplifting story, magical and yet it tells a real story. One afternoon, monarch butterflies surround eleven-year-old John Farrington, completely covering and enveloping him.

They ask him, wordlessly, to be their guide - for they are lost and confused. Their habitat - lush meadows, tall trees - is being torn apart as new strip malls and houses are built. John becomes a butterfly and leads them to a new meadow - and this happens year after year, until he is 17.

As an adult, John became a scientist and studied the habitat of migrating butterflies - ultimately, urging Congress to pass the "The Butterfly Road" bill to set aside migratory resting places for the monarchs.

While some reviews found this confusing, I think kids can roll with the magical side of the story. Perfect for students looking at butterflies, the environment, or making a difference in your community.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not your typical Bruce Coville book, this was a great piece of fiction that also inadvertently brought the plight of monarch butterflies habitat destruction the reader's attention. The story is completely fiction. There is no Butterfly Road Bill and John Farrington is not actually a pioneering butterfly biologist (I know because after reading this, I checked since I knew I'd be asked if I ever shared this book with anyone else). Still it's a very good book. I can hardly believe this is by the same author that wrote My Teacher is an Alien. The ending was just what I hoped it would be, that last chance he needed to live the butterfly life he so treasured. Highly readable and beautifully illustrated. This book would be a great read aloud.

[Mary Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think that this was a beautiful book. I was expecting a more non fictional type of story, but I was presently surprised by such a warm heart felt story. I love the illustration; it ranges from bold and dramatic to soft and peaceful.

Teaching Application:
I had originally thought that this would be a great book about the migration patterns of monarchs, but that is not so. It is a good book to read when studying monarchs because it does show that they do migrate in flocks and the pictures beautifully depict the details of the monarchs. I would choose something more non fictional and informative to teach a lesson about the monarchs.

[Vanessa Peavy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can you imagine your house being covered by butterflies like John? This story is such a heartwarming story. There is truly an adventure within the pages of this book that children will enjoy being a part of. I would use this book to teach a lesson on butterflies.

Grades 3-4

[Noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful story that almost has you convinced the main character is a real person from history. It's a fantasy story, it's a growing up story, and it's an old-age story. It made me cry and it is beautifully illustrated to boot.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I find this picture book to be among the most moving things Bruce has written.

[Erica · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sweet story, maybe a little long though.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really neat book about butterflies. Although the story was clearly not true, I imagine some of it was. The pictures and writing were both really well done.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the illustrations in this book. A couple of them were amazing. Nice story too.

[Geb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book had very good illustrations, it was an inspirational book about a boy and some butterflies, you really felt like you were there. I totally loved it!!!! (:

[Ilana Waters · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful, uplifting story. I cried at the end, but in a good way.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

When surrounded by thousands of butterflies, 11-year-old John becomes transformed into one of them and finds his entire life altered because of this experience.

[Kalynda · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was interesting. I really can't decide if I liked it, but I did enjoy the illustrations.