THE MONARCH

Ready for an adventure?

Young readers follow several eastern monarchs as they make a multigenerational migration across North America. The story begins with a pearl necklace–wearing butterfly laying an egg on a milkweed leaf. Soon a very ravenous caterpillar emerges, eats, grows, and begins her metamorphosis. This new protagonist sports a high-buttoned lacy collar as she travels. After a page turn, the third generation is introduced (this one in a ruffled collar), and we follow her amorous adventures until she also lays an egg, one that produces the final protagonist, complete with a lavaliere. This final butterfly travels onward, completing the circuit started by her great-grandparents. The book is narrated in a rhyme scheme that reads fairly well aloud, although the rhyming pattern fluctuates, and the thin font can be easily missed on some of the busier illustrations. The artwork, a mix of traditional and digital techniques, is attractive, though the various butterflies are differentiated only by changing neckwear designs—which may be a whisper too subtle for young readers. The changeover between generations is quick; readers who aren’t paying close attention may miss these crucial shifts. A page of backmatter offers more information on these butterflies and the dangers they face.

A serviceable introduction to monarch migration, with some bumps along the journey.