Caterpillar and Butterfly Picture Books for Kids
When summer is drawing to a close, we see a host of butterflies in our backyard. One of our kids’ favorite pastimes is to raise caterpillars and watch them turn into butterflies. These caterpillar and butterfly picture books will aid your children in understanding more about these incredible creatures.
Raising Caterpillars to Butterflies
Our kids love to find caterpillars on the milkweed and other vegetation in our yard. They do this every year at the end of summer. So far, we have raised both Monarch and Swallowtail butterflies.
When they find the caterpillar, they put it in a mason jar with plenty of whatever leaf it was crawling on. We find our Monarchs on Milkweed; Swallowtails on Dill Weed. They cover the jar with a lid and poke a few holes in the top to let air through.
After putting the jar in a shaded spot, we all enjoy watching the caterpillar’s habits for the next fiew days. After some time, the caterpillar heads to the top of the jar, hangs upside down in the shape of a J, and begins its transformation be forming a chrysalis.
The process is fascinating to observe!
Caterpillar and Butterfly Picture Books for Kids
If you wish to enhance your child’s experience with caterpillars and butterflies, these are our favorite books about these amazing critters.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
On a warm, sunny morning, a baby caterpillar pops out of an egg. Follow the caterpillar, trying one apple, two pears, and many more interesting foods on each of the days of the week. However, all this eating results in a stomachache. Finally, he finds the right food for him — a delicious green leaf. After emerging from a cocoon, the book displays the caterpillarʼs transformation into a beautiful butterfly.
- Now even younger children can follow the little green caterpillar as he eats his way to becoming a beautiful butterfly in this sturdy board book
- Great for early development
- Children will enjoy this delightful tale
- Ages 3 to 7
- Hardcover Book
The Caterpillar and the Polliwog by Jack Kent
A caterpillar and a polliwog meet up at a pond, boasting to each other about how they will change into something different. The polliwog patiently watches as the caterpillar spins a cocoon around herself and waits until she finally emerges. After waiting so long, the polliwog forgot to notice his transformation, and they both came across a surprise.
- Kent, Jack (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 03/01/1985 (Publication Date) – Aladdin (Publisher)
A Butterfly is Patient by Dianna Aston
This realistic picture book exhibits the butterfly’s features from its original form as a caterpillar to a fully developed butterfly. It lists the necessities and attributes of a butterfly, describing to the reader the life cycle of a butterfly, eating habits, camouflage, and its beauty.
- Parents teachers librarians and homeschool educators|Young and emerging readers with an interest in insects nature and gardening|Fans of National Geographic kids’ books Eric Carle books Danica McKellar’s Ten Magic Butterflies and Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt and others in the Over and Under series|Gift giving for birthday Easter springtime or summer reading for boys and girls who love books about butterflies bugs animals and nature
- Aston, Dianna Hutts (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 40 Pages – 03/03/2015 (Publication Date) – Chronicle Books (Publisher)
Waiting For Wings by Lois Ehlert
In its simple rhyming text, the pages of the book describe how the little caterpillar pushes out of its egg, following the course of its life as it grows, eventually laying eggs of its own. The end of the book features an easy-to-follow diagram that is perfectly understandable for young children. It illustrates the different parts of a butterfly, as well as additional content about butterflies that is sure to interest your kids.
- Waiting for Wings By Ehlert Lois
- Hardcover Book
- Ehlert, Lois (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 40 Pages – 04/01/2001 (Publication Date) – Clarion Books (Publisher)
National Geographic Flutter, Butterfly!
The elaborate photos in this book display the full life of a caterpillar, from an egg to a butterfly. Its informative pages list the facts and the life cycle of a caterpillar.
- Alinsky, Shelby (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 24 Pages – 07/14/2015 (Publication Date) – National Geographic Kids (Publisher)
Charlie The Caterpillar by Dom DeLuise
Charlie the Caterpillar came across several groups of animals playing games. He asks each group to play with them, but each refuses him because they say he is “an ugly caterpillar”. Charlie, dejected and cold, spins a cocoon around himself. When he awakens and emerges in the warm sun, he finds that he is no longer an ugly caterpillar and that everyone wants to play with him. A simply adorable story!
- Deluise, Dom (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 40 Pages – 04/01/1993 (Publication Date) – Aladdin (Publisher)
National Geographic Caterpillar to Butterfly
This book provides a lot of educational information to kids, as well as photos that show a realistic view of the caterpillars’ lives. The illustrations display the different stages of their lives, unique facts, and more interesting details about caterpillars and butterflies.
- Used Book in Good Condition
- Marsh, Laura (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 04/10/2012 (Publication Date) – National Geographic Kids (Publisher)
From Caterpillar to Butterfly by Deborah Heiligman
A caterpillar placed with many leaves in a jar is introduced to a classroom. Every day, the students look closely to see if there is any change. They notice how the caterpillar eats, how it changes its skin, and how it grows. The end of the book lists a few common butterflies that can be found in your backyard.
- hands-on and visual
- acclaimed and trusted
- great for classrooms
- Entertain and educate at the same time
- Have appealing, child-centered topics
The Butterfly House by Eve Bunting
This beautifully illustrated book tells the sweet story of a young girl who saves a caterpillar. Her grandpa helps her create a home for it in a box, and together they decorate it, drawing flowers on pieces of paper. The caterpillar emerges from its chrysalis as a beautiful butterfly and is released back outside. When she is her grandfather’s age, people wonder why all the butterflies flutter around her yard. At the end of The Butterfly House, a section is written detailing how to raise a butterfly.
- Hardcover Book
- Bunting, Eve (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 05/01/1999 (Publication Date) – Scholastic Press (Publisher)
What books would you add to this list?
As you read these fun books to your kids, why not take a stroll in your backyard to find caterpillars with your kids? Raising caterpillars to butterflies is an experience your kids will never forget!
What books would you add to this list? Share below and keep this list going!
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