This is a beautiful, heart-warming story of a girl who rescues a caterpillar and how she and her grandfather build a butterfly house to care for it. This is one of those rare treasures (like so many of Eve Bunting’s books) that I read every. single. year!
I use this story during my butterfly unit. It has the perfect blend of a narrative as well as facts about the painted lady butterflies.
Before I even open the book, I like to invite the students to enjoy looking at the cover and making observations. This is the perfect time to encourage children to make predictions about the story.
A prediction is a smart guess about what
may happen after looking at clues.
Ask leading questions:
What do you predict the story will be about?
What on the cover makes you think that?
Next, access your students’ prior knowledge – schema.
Prior Knowledge (schema) is what we already know about a topic.
What do they already know about butterflies?
You might want to use the ‘Predictions & Schema’ page from the (free) book companion.
This story lends itself beautifully to the further investigation of the life cycle of the butterfly. I have included a cute little flap book and life cycle cards to use to teach and review the life cycle of the butterfly.
When I was teaching kindergarten, I would read this story on the last day of school. I told my little sweeties that they were like those caterpillars – I had tried my best to care for them and teach them what they needed to flutter into life! (WARNING: you may have some tears.) Then I said that I was like the girl, now older, who would love for them to come back to me in the years to come and tell me all the amazing things that are happening in their lives –
and many of them do!
Find the link below to get this free book companion.
If you would like additional resources to teach the life cycle of the butterfly, please check out my butterfly unit, filled with science and literacy resources and activities.
My name is Peggy Means. I am a child of God and a retired elementary teacher. I loved teaching and creating engaging resources for my students. Now, I love sharing my resources and ideas with busy teachers around the world.
