RHS How Does a Butterfly Grow? (Life Cycle Board Books)

The collaboration between DK Books and the Royal Horticultural Society takes the best skills from both to create a dynamic, playful and interesting series of Non-Fiction books packed with facts and information, this regarding the Life cycle and habitat of a Butterfly along with comparison between species and their role as pollinators making this a Must-have for anyone teaching children about life cycles especially perfect for Year 2 classrooms and primary libraries.I’ve bought quite a few of the recent publications by the RHS/DK as they are fabulously interesting and give lots of facts in a accessible way to children and are designed for fun with flaps and hidden treasures of pictures and information so I knew this was going to be good, but the flap factor elevates this and hits exactly the target age group and those whom may find traditional DK Non-fiction books a little intimidating.The text is relatively simple and accessible to the expected reading level of a 6 year old with allowances such as mummy butterfly and changes rather than metamorphoses with some scientific terms such as chrysalis and includes a glossary at the back for these terms.The book is only 16 pages but in classic DK style it packs in a lot of information and the flaps are not just for entertainment they show progression, growth and allow for comparison at and within each stage of development such as how an egg changes during gestation which makes this book much more powerful than a traditional life cycle diagram.Both my girls like this book, my 2 year old for the interactivity, my 5 year old is enjoying reading the facts to tell us and making links to her existing knowledge and the gorgeous pictures.

This is a beautifully written and informative book about how a butterfly emerges. The book itself is very well made and the flaps are nice and robust.There is a straightforward narrative and lots of other facts as well. I can see this being of great use in a school or similar setting when children are finding things out for themselves - the different bits of information are at different levels. It is also good that the book uses the correct words for things and has a glossary.The pictures are a mixture of photographs and drawings and very well done with each page having a slightly different colour scheme. The text is in different places on each page and important words are emphasised.My only reservation is that the material contained under the flaps is much the same as is on the pages. Strictly, you didn't really need the flaps. I think any flap lifter just might have expected something a bit more exciting

With this book it’s as though somebody took “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and ‘scienced it’. Obviously the ‘story’ is the same, but instead of just the constant eating and book holes, you get fascinating detailed (and sometimes strangely ‘icky’) proper close-up photography of caterpillars, chrysalises and butterflies, on mostly illustrated leaf backgrounds with the occasional flower photo thrown in for good measure (it is an RHS book after all).The text is matter-of-text but nicely written so that young kids are engaged with wanting to know what happens next, without needing to anthropomorphise, which is an impressive feat.There are plenty of lift-up flaps for kids to get their fingers into, full of extra facts, though none of them hold many surprises- on the guessing game page where you try to guess which butterfly comes out of which caterpillar the physical resemblance is so vague that very few five-year-old lepidopterists are going to get all the answers right.It’s a nicely laid out and attractive early-years science book, great for parents who are getting tired of the infamous cherry-pie-eating fictional caterpillar and want to start telling their kids what really happens. (But don’t worry- there’s no page about their life expectancy or death!)

This is a board book that explains about the life cycle and growth of various butterflies from around the world. Each page is bright and colourful with flowers, leaves and butterflies illustrated across each full set of pages. Some of the pages have flip up sections, on leaves and butterfly wings, that have more interesting facts and information about each stage of the life cycle, from egg, to caterpillar, to chrysalis, to butterfly and everything in between, from where they live and what they eat.The only issue I have with this book, is that the thick pages suggest that it is a book for a smaller child, however the information and facts inside the book are more aimed at a much older reader. It is a book you could share with a smaller child, but it is not really a story and I'm not sure a younger child would quite enjoy this as much as a story. But the pictures are lovely to look at and the flip open sections are fun and surprising to peek beneath leaves and wings.

This is a sturdy Dorling Kindersley hardback the Royal Horticultural Society. It measures 8.5 " ². It has seven sturdy board pages and it features loads of interesting info about butterflies. There are plenty of attractive pictures.This would be great any enquiring little mind with a nascent interest in entomology.Several of the pages have lift-up leaf flaps under which is more info. And at the end, you can lift up the leaves to see the caterpillar turned into the butterfly. There is a glossary at the end explaining seven butterfly related terms.This can be read out at bed time if your child prefers fact to fiction or you just fancy a change.The transformation from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly is a great story for little ones. And it's true life :-)

Both my daughters (6 & 3) really enjoyed this book. It has the right level of detail about the butterfly's life cycle as well as different species around the world. To make it more engaging, they have hidden some of the facts behind using "lift the flap".The photographs are of real butterflies and include a lot of details so you can see the difference between the different species of buttleflies around the world as well as the difference between their corresponding caterpillar (they don't all look the same!).Really good for little ones to start reading non-fiction books and get them more interested in the world around them.

I got this to read with my class for our growth topic. It is a very lovely and informative non fiction account of butterfly life cycles. My favourite parts are the interactive flaps which lift to create a 3D butterfly on the page, the pictures of how the different eggs create the different butterflies and the overall colourfulness and engagement created by this book.Lovely if you want to learn about the butterfly's journey with your child and could work well with a broad age range.

Lovely lift-the-flap board book with bright, beautiful illustrations teaching the lifecycle of a butterfly, complete with a double-spread of various different species in detail. Enjoyable for my older and younger children – informative and interesting for the older ones, with beautiful, bright and engaging pictures for the toddler and baby. The quality of it also excellent, hoping it will last well for all the kids to enjoy as they get bigger.

This is a beautiful butterfly board book. Our seven year old loves it! It feels well made and solid as you'd expect from a board book but the text is clearly not for tiny ones. It explains the growth process really well with each page having flaps to lift and read to get the full details. There are also loads of diagrams and labels to spot and discuss too. A very well thought out and beautifully illustrated nonfiction book. Highly recommended!

A lovely interactive flap book which uses photographs alongside cartoons to show the butterfly lifecycle.Could be used at home or in an educational settingThis book is educational, but the flaps add an element of funThis book will be used alongside another famous caterpillar book to teach a class of 3 year olds about the butterfly life cycle.

I thought this might be a bit advanced for our toddler but she has been fascinated by the very well laid out story of how butterflies start life and progress through the stages of a growing caterpillar through to chrysalis and then butterfly. The pictures are beautiful and the lift up flaps add an extra layer of interest. Well done RHS!

This book is beautifully and brightly illustrated. It contains lots of information about butterflies. My three year old enjoys this book for its vivid pictures and older kids will find some of the information interesting