The Life Cycle of a Butterfly

Nancy W. Dixon is an elementary-school English teacher with the
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board.

Each title in this exceptionally informative nature series for budding
biologists focuses on the life cycle of a particular living creature,
offering the reader an understanding of how the stages of life connect
to one another: how birth leads to life and life to death, and then to
birth again, as the cycle continues.

Between the eye-catching glossy covers, 16 two-page chapters offer up a
full array of colorful photographs and illustrations and well-researched
information. The Life Cycle of a Butterfly traces the insect’s
metamorphosis from egg to pupa to chrysalis to butterfly. The Life Cycle
of a Sea Turtle points out the dangers the aquatic reptile faces in its
earliest stages of life. The Life Cycle of a Lion follows a lion cub as
it grows up in a pride. The Life Cycle of a Wolf explains how a pup’s
development will determine its place in the pack. The Life Cycle of a
Koala shows how different a marsupial is from other mammals. The Life
Cycle of a Whale highlights the importance of the humpback whale’s
changing environment (from polar to tropical waters) to its survival.
The Life Cycle of a Bird discusses the danger posed by pollution and
ecological destruction to birds’ survival. The Life Cycle of a Frog
details the amphibian’s four life stages. The Life Cycle of a Spider
draws readers into the fascinating world of different species of
spiders. The Life Cycle of a Tree looks at how trees reproduce and
benefit the environment.

The effective use of a cyclical diagram to explain the life cycle
particular to each species helps the reader recognize the relationship
of each stage to the next. Also, by touching on today’s environmental
dangers that threaten the cycles and explaining how the reader can help
in some small way, the authors encourage readers to participate in
conservation (names and Web sites of conservation groups are included).
This superb series is highly recommended.