In an opening note to readers, author Melissa Stewart and illustrator Sarah S. Brannen share their admiration for the “beauty and complexity of butterflies.” In the visual treat and researcher’s delight Monarch and Mourning Cloak: A Butterfly Journal, the duo shares with readers the lifecycles, habitats, food sources and activities of two species of butterflies as they flutter through the seasons and bring enchantment into the world.
Budding naturalists will revel in the wealth of information presented in a format resembling a diary made of collage featuring engaging poems and interesting observations; detailed, colorful drawings alongside rough pencil sketches; and illustrations that look like taped-on bits of paper and pressed flowers. Captivating artwork depicts a swarm of monarchs flying over flowering fields (“Searching, seeking fragrant blossoms. Gliding, sinking toward its target—sweet coneflower nectar”) and a flight of mourning cloak swooping through forests (“Searching, seeking tender stems. Swerving, curving toward its target—sugary oak sap”).
Monarch and Mourning Cloak is perfect for home, library and classroom, and sure to inspire conservationists, artists and writers of all ages. The picture book even encourages readers to record their own real-life observations. There’s “no right or wrong way to keep a journal,” Stewart says. Adds Brannen, we need only “go outside and look.”