• Age: 6 to 12
• Grade: 1 to 7

"A vivid and concise guidebook that anyone, not just educators or parents, would find beneficial in their butterfly-raising endeavors. Full of butterfly insights and mind-boggling facts, it offers something to learn for everyone. From finding caterpillars and avoiding common predators to tracking your adult butterflies by utilizing citizen science efforts, this book leaves no leaf unturned when it comes to raising your very own Monarch butterflies. Even gardeners would find this book useful, as it includes tips for creating butterfly-centric gardens."
-- Green Teacher

"Pasternak has written a clear, practical and family-friendly guide to raising butterflies, which includes plenty of compelling scientific information along the way and ends by explaining what we can do to save their habitat."
--Washington Post

"The breezy and down-to-earth text... nicely communicates the wonder... Especially effective is the eight-pictured depiction of the development of the caterpillar into a chrysalis."
--School Library Journal

Observing a Monarch butterfly as it transforms itself from caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly is among the most thrilling experiences that nature offers. Raising Monarch butterflies is made easy with the help of this detailed guide.

How to Raise Monarch Butterflies explains what threats Monarchs face today and how readers can help conserve the Monarch's feeding grounds from encroachment. Revel in one of the most remarkable miracles of nature.

This updated edition contains:

• More than 40 new colorful and detailed photos
• More secrets to help you find eggs and caterpillars
• Instructions on how to feed a Monarch and more details on their care
• Expanded information on varieties and propagation of milkweeds
• New page on the diverse insects in the milkweed patch
• New suggestions for starting a butterfly garden, including a large photograph of an outstanding Monarch waystation.

Carol Pasternak works as a motivational speaker when she is not scouring meadows and ravines for signs of wildlife for her presentations. She lives in Toronto.

Carol Pasternak's profile page

Toronto author Carol Pasternak's love of monarch butterflies inspired this step-by-step guide for children. Written in kid-friendly language, it encourages youngsters six and up to help boost declining monarch populations by raising butterflies from eggs or caterpillars collected from roadsides and fields. The photography is outstanding. Incredibly detailed, Pasternak's guide also spills with facts, close-up photos and links to great websites.

Waterloo Region-Record

Trust me -- this is one of those books that belongs in every school and public library.

Bookends: A Booklist Online Blog

50 Must-Read How-To Books. Raising monarch butterflies is made easy with the help of this detailed guide. How to Raise Monarch Butterflies explains what threats Monarchs face today and how readers can help conserve the Monarch's feeding grounds from encroachment. Revel in one of the most remarkable miracles of nature.

Book Riot

This exciting new book is a great introduction to the amazing lives of Monarch butterflies, with detailed information on how to care for and raise the caterpillars. With many full-colour photographs illustrating every step and aspect of a Monarch's life and journey, this book is a great resource for educators, parents and monarch-lovers of all ages!

Cambridge Butterfly Conservatory

[The] breezy and down-to-earth text ("greenish poops called frash") presents many generalizations but nicely communicates the wonder of the transformative nature of this species. Especially effective is the eight-pictured depiction of the development of the caterpillar into a chrysalis. The full-color photographs are crisp and sharp for the most part, and illustrate the life cycle of the monarch and the many tasks that have to be done to ensure that the caterpillars thrive and become butterflies. This work-intensive activity might be better suited to students in a classroom than an individual at home.

School Library Journal

Thoughtful inspiring and informative, this Canadian book will stimulate children to want to head out the door and look for Monarch butterflies.

North Bay Nugget

Pasternak's clear explanations for each stage of raising a monarch are paired with rich, colourful photographs that make you want to run outside and explore. This text is simple enough for 8-year-olds and engaging enough for teenagers; self-contained enough to support a brand new enthusiast and detailed enough to include interesting facts for an experienced butterfly raiser. And both bug enthusiasts and avoiders will find the step-by-step instructions easy to follow for your month long journey. Also, there are suggestions of organizations or web links to go to for further information. A great resource for teachers and an engaging classroom library addition.

Canadian Teacher

An incredibly satisfying family activity that can encourage youngsters to look at nature with inquisitive, open eyes, raising monarch butterflies is an easy, outdoor pursuit. Pasternak's approachable book will certainly help families be rewarded with the wonder of metamorphosis.

Waste Management World

Pasternak has written a clear, practical and family-friendly guide to raising butterflies, which includes plenty of compelling scientific information along the way and ends by explaining what we can do to save their habitat.

Washington Post

Spectacular photographs add much to this informative text... a valuable addition to an elementary school library.

Resource Links, Vol. 17 No. 5

Kids who love wildlife will find much to learn in this informative and beautifully photographed book.

Sal's Fiction Addiction

Parents and grandparents looking for something to do with the kids this summer should consider this great backyard project.

Guelph Mercury

A perfect gift.

Tampa Bay Times

Written in kid-friendly language.... The photography is outstanding. Parents and grandparents looking for something to do with the kids this summer should consider this great backyard project. Incredibly detailed, Pasternak's guide also spills with facts, close-ups and great websites to scour.

Waterloo Region Record

One of the most remarkable changes in nature is how a caterpillar turns into a butterfly, and this book, filled with beautiful photographs, tells kids how that change takes place and why it's so important for the environment. The book's easy-to-follow instructions, from finding caterpillars or monarch eggs to caring for them, will inspire you.

Washington Post

It's the perfect step-by-step guide for children.

Waterloo Region-Record

Highly recommended.

Canadian Review of Materials

Carol Pasternak provides an easy-to-follow guide for children to participate in the life cycle of these beautiful insects.

North Shore News

A great book for kids of all ages. Even adults will benefit from what this book has to offer. What it presents is very clear and concise and the photos are phenomenal. This book would be a great introduction to butterflies in general, especially for anyone who would like to raise them in captivity, with the intention of releasing back into the wild.

Dave the Bug Guy blog

A step-by-step guide for children who are interested in the natural world. The book contains beautiful photographs illustrating the various stages of butterfly development. It is written in kid-friendly language and best of all, helps to enlarge the monarch population in your area. The book tells where to look for monarch eggs or larvae and how to care for and cultivate this magnificent insect.

National Gardening Association

An exquisite step-by-step guide... This book is the perfect summer companion for a young nature enthusiast!

Canadian Children's Book News

Everything you ever wanted to know about the Monarch Butterfly and more... Helpful photographs on each page show what to look for. Not just for kids.

Niagara Escarpment Views

A monarch enthusiast, Pasternak clearly wants to encourage readers to develop their own fascination through experience and further education.

Science Magazine

A vivid and concise guidebook that anyone, not just educators or parents, would find beneficial in their butterfly-raising endeavors. Full of butterfly insights and mind-boggling facts, it offers something to learn for everyone. From finding caterpillars and avoiding common predators to tracking your adult butterflies by utilizing citizen science efforts, this book leaves no leaf unturned when it comes to raising your very own Monarch butterflies. Even gardeners would find this book useful, as it includes tips for creating butterfly-centric gardens.

Green Teacher

A book for children to learn about monarch butterflies, their lifecycle and the benefits of monarch butterflies to the environment. Includes step-by-step instructions for raising your own crop of butterflies in your home. Great for nature lovers young and old alike.

Metro Family Magazine (Oklahoma)

This guide for raising monarch butterflies gives clear directions accompanied by good, helpful, and beautiful photographs.... The book is well written, well illustrated, and very inviting. Readers will certainly want to try rearing monarchs after reading it. It is simple enough for young children, but not too simple for interested adults. Thus, the book should find a wide audience. I would recommend it for classrooms, libraries, and the general reader.

Science Books and Films

Learn everything you need to know about the monarch life cycle and how to find and raise monarchs from egg to adult butterfly. You will even learn how to cultivate a butterfly garden full of monarchs. The book features many beautiful photographs of the fascinating insect, but soon you'll be able to take some of your own. So don't forget a camera!

Time Magazine (Time for Kids), Green Books

How to Raise Monarch Butterflies: A Step-by-Step Guide for Kids

“This is where your monarch adventure begins.” Author and photographer Carol Pasternak has created an exquisite step-by-step guide for kids interested in becoming a lepidopterist: a studier and collector of butterflies! How to Raise Monarch Butterflies is a comprehensive, kid-friendly guide to raising butterflies at home, from preparing the materials needed and observing the monarch life cycle, to releasing the butterfly to start its migration journey.

The crisp, clear photographs are incredibly vivid and are sure to cultivate the reader’s interest with the details of these remarkable insects. The non-fiction text is easy to follow and compelling to read, with diagrams, captions and highlighted text paving the way to a clear understanding of the concepts. Pasternak effectively intersperses key scientific terms with clear, succinct explanations in a way that will ensure a child’s understanding without oversimplifying the content.

The writing engages kids on a personal level, too, with fun facts such as, “If you grew at the same rate as a caterpillar, you’d be more than 30 feet tall in two weeks!” Pasternak also encourages self reflection and student inquiry by asking readers to reflect on the choices they are making throughout the process. At the end of the book, she provides websites with information on a variety of butterfly-related topics, such as tracking butterfly migration, creating a butterfly garden and becoming a Junior Crusader for the monarch.

This book is the perfect summer companion for a young nature enthusiast!

How to Raise Monarch Butterflies: A Step-by-Step Guide for Kids

With the help of more than 50 close-up photographs, readers will learn about the life-cycle of the Monarch butterfly and how to encourage populations in their own backyards. With tips on which plants to grow, as well as on the care and feeding of their pet caterpillars, this book provides children with all the knowledge they need to raise their own Monarch butterflies.