14 Beautiful Butterfly Books for Kids

Butterflies are so fun to learn about and these beautiful butterfly books for kids illustrate the magical life cycles of butterflies through fun repetition, beautiful illustrations and interesting characters.  They are fun books to read aloud and discuss with your children or add to your lesson plans for preschool or elementary aged kids studying butterflies.

set of six picture books about butterflies for kids

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I recently checked out all the children’s books about butterflies I could find from my library and left with a huge Aldi bag full of great butterfly books that my kids and I had so much fun reading through.  This is our list of favorite butterfly books chosen by my daughters and myself and they are perfect for young readers.   They were full of interesting facts and silly characters who made us laugh.  My girls now want to plant a butterfly garden and raise our own butterflies this spring.  These wonderful books are a great way to create an appreciation for learning and caring about butterflies!   

The Best Butterfly Picture Books for Kids

Gotta Go! Gotta Go! by Sam Swope, illustrated by Sue Riddle

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Follow the adventure of a little caterpillar as she wakes up one day with only one thing on her mind – she’s gotta go to Mexico. A silly tale with fun repetition about the migration of Monarch butterflies.  After reading this book I promise you won’t be forgetting anytime soon that Monarch butterflies “gotta go, gotta go, gotta go to Mexico.”

Butterflies are Pretty… Gross! by Rosemary Mosco, illustrated by Jacob Souva

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My kids were laughing out loud reading this book – it’s not very often you see the words butterflies and poop in the same sentence! And of course it’s hilarious and very fun to read aloud.  A funny book as well as engaging and informative, you will learn things you never knew existed about butterfly butts as well as so much more 🙂 

Velma Gratch & the Way Cool Butterfly by Alan Madison and Kevin Hawkes

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This funny story was the winner of all the butterfly books I read with my 3 and 5 year old.  A heartwarming story following Velma Gratch as she searches for where she belongs in the world.  It teaches important words like migration and metamorphosis as well as the importance of finding something you love and how it makes you unique.  Watch Velma find her place in the first grade as she becomes confident through her love of learning about butterflies. 

Mr. McGinty’s Monarchs by Linda Vander Heyden and illustrated by Eileen Ryan Ewen

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Mr.McGinty loves monarchs and when he finds out the milkweed in his town has been cut down he creates a plan to save the little caterpillars and find them good homes until they turn into butterflies and can be released.  An inspiring story about taking action and caring for even the tiniest creatures even when everyone else doesn’t seem to understand.

Moth & Butterfly Ta Da! written by Dev Petty, illustrated by Ana Aranda

A beautifully illustrated and light hearted story following the friendship between a moth and butterfly.  Learn about the similarities and differences between moths and butterflies and follow the sweet tale of friendship as moth and butterfly navigate metamorphosis together.  

Winged Wonders by Meeg Pincus, illustrated by Yas Imamura

A tale following the many researchers, scientists, teachers and students who discovered where exactly Monarch butterflies fly to every winter.  The story introduces the actual scientists and their contributions in finding out about where the great monarch migration takes place every year.  It is a great book for young learners interested in science and discovery.   

Butterfly Park by Elly Mackay

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This book follows the story of a young girl who moves to a new town in the city away from the nature and environment she loves.  When she discovers she moved right next to a butterfly park, she is sad to discover there are no butterflies living there.  When she sees one little butterfly flying on the street she is determined to catch it and brings her neighbors along the chase.  Watch as she creates a new home for the butterflies as well as new friendships for herself as she works together with her community to create a place for butterflies and nature in the city.  

Out of Nowhere by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros

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A sweet story of friendship between a beetle and her new friend, caterpillar.  When caterpillar disappears beetle bravely searches for her friend in the forest, even though she is afraid.  When she finds her friend, she has changed, but their friendship remains the same.   

A Butterfly is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston, illustrated by Sylvia Long

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A beautiful book that teaches many characteristics about the life cycle of butterflies.  Learn about the amazing butterflies and see how they are patient, helpful and spectacular among many other descriptions.  We loved seeing the different species of butterflies illustrated in this book.  

Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert

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This book has different sized pages and they grow bigger as you see the life cycle of a butterfly evolve.  The rhyming prose and changing pages make it a fun book to read with little kids.  The end has added bonus pages about butterfly identification, flower identification and how to begin your own butterfly garden.    

The Butterfly Garden by Laura Weston

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This lift the flap board book has very simple text and is great book for toddlers and young children.  The contrast between the black and white images with bursts of color underneath the flaps was a fun surprise.  Little readers will love this interactive book and it was was one of my three year olds favorite books.  

Senorita Mariposa by Ben Funersheimer, illustrated by Marcos Almada Rivero

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An ode to the migration of a monarch butterfly with prose in both English and Spanish.  The rhyming tale takes us along with the beautiful butterflies as they make their way south for winter.  It celebrates the strength it takes to make the journey and gives ways for how to protect monarch butterflies in the end.  

National Geographic Readers: Caterpillar to Butterfly by Laura Marsh

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A very informative book with real life pictures and easy to follow timelines about a butterfly’s life cycle.  My daughters loved seeing the interesting photos showing the stages of a catepillar forming it’s chrysalis.   A great book to include in a butterfly unit for school with easy to read text and detailed information.      

Hurry and the Monarch by Antoine O Flatharta

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Hurry the tortoise witnesses a monarch’s life cycle and befriends the young butterfly on her way to Mexico.  You join the butterfly’s story on her trip to Mexico and then back home again as Hurry sleeps the winter away.  When he wakes he finds a new monarch laying eggs and the caterpillar hatches, restarting the cycle of friendship.

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