The Great Butterfly Hunt: The Mystry of the Migrating Monarchs 0671694278

Examines the migration patterns of the monarch butterfly, describes the study and discoveries that yielded knowledge of these movements, and speculates on the origin of the insect and why it travels such long distances.
The Great Butterfly Hunt: The Mystery of the Migrating Monarchs

By Ethan Herberman, WGBH (Television station : Boston, Mass.)

Edition: illustrated

Published by Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 1990

ISBN 0671694278, 9780671694272

48 pages

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-6 Ages10-12 -- Poor organization and a spasmodic writing style mar this title. Focusing on a renowned Canadian entomologist's 23-year search for the wintering place of eastern North American monarch butterflies, the book recounts his development of an efficient way to tag the insects and his use of thousands of volunteers to chart their migration routes. Other topics briefly covered are the Monarch's life cycle, some of the volunteers' experiences, current research on how the monarchs navigate, the problem of vanishing habitats, and the efforts of conservation groups to protect the butterflies. Herberman includes some intriguing material that is not available elsewhere; however, the book lacks cohesion. The narrative jumps from one topic to another with no regard for continuity. Colored inserts on related topics frequently interrupt the flow of the text. The author makes abrupt transitions from present to past tenses and from the objective third-person to a subjective voice. An eclectic assortment of full-color and black-and-white photos, drawings, and maps, most of which are of excellent quality, appear on nearly every page. Walker's Migrating Animals (David McKay, 1979; o.p.) and Norsgaard's How to Raise Butterflies (Dodd, 1988) are better organized and better written. --Karey Wehner, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.