There is nothing more magical than teaching children how caterpillars grow wings and become butterflies! Learning and observing these wonderful creatures is something every preschooler must do. However, I know with the busyness of everyday life, it can be challenging to find quality butterfly books which is why I have done it for you! From timeless classics, to nonfiction books, to books that teach butterfly in several languages, to practicing counting or SEL skills, these books have it all!
Classic Butterfly Books
These timeless stories provide wonderful entertainment while teaching story structure and rich vocabulary.
- The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
- Uniqueness of This Book: A timeless classic
- Preschool Age Focus: 1+
- Play-Based Activity: Act out the caterpillar’s journey by pretending to “munch” through the food with silly sound effects, or create paper fruits and “feed” them to a pretend caterpillar.
- Interactive Reading Tip: Encourage prediction by asking, “What do you think will happen to the caterpillar after he eats all this food?”
The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of the most beloved children’s books, and every child should experience it at least once. It introduces the butterfly lifecycle in a simple, engaging way, perfect for young learners. The vibrant illustrations captivate children, while the story offers many learning opportunities, including counting, the days of the week, food names, and sequencing.
Eric Carle’s signature storytelling and artwork make this book an excellent introduction to recognizing authors and illustrators. Its widespread popularity also allows children to make book-to-book connections across Carle’s many works, fostering early literacy and a love for reading.
2. Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert
- Uniqueness of This Book: A beautifully illustrated rhyming book
- Preschool Age Focus: 2+
- Play-Based Activity: Use scarves or pretend wings to “fly” around like butterflies.
- Interactive Reading Tip: Read the book multiple times and pause before the rhyming word to see if your child can finish the rhyme.
Lois Ehlert, another timeless author and illustrator, created many beloved children’s books, including Waiting for Wings. This book provides a wonderful opportunity to introduce children to rhyming, an essential pre-reading skill. The engaging text and vibrant illustrations make it a delightful addition to any early childhood library.
3. The Making of Butterflies (Retold by Ibram X. Kendi)
- Uniqueness of This Book: A folktale originally recorded by Zora Neale Hurston with a page that shares the history of the story
- Preschool Age Focus: 3+
- Play-Based Activity: Create fun, made-up names for animals based on their sounds, movements, or features, and see if your child can guess the real animal! Example Names: Ribbit Jumper (Frog), Buzzy Buzz (Bee), Slow Shell (Turtle) Encourage your child to come up with their own creative names and challenge you to guess!
- Interactive Reading Tip: Encourage recall by asking, “According to this book, what were butterflies supposed to be called?”
The Making of Butterflies is a folktale from the African American storytelling tradition. Written in African American Vernacular English (AAVE), it introduces children to a different language structure while also exploring the characteristics of folktales. This story offers a unique cultural perspective, sparking conversations about storytelling, imagination, and tradition.
Counting Butterfly Books
These books reinforce counting skills while introducing butterfly colors and names.
4. Ten Little Caterpillars by Bill Martin Jr.
- Uniqueness of This Book: Features real caterpillar species
- Preschool Age Focus: 2+
- Play-Based Activity: Line up toy caterpillars or pom-poms and count them together.
- Interactive Reading Tip: Encourage inference by asking, “What happens to caterpillars at the end?”
Bill Martin Jr., yet another beloved author, brings attention to a lesser-explored aspect of butterflies—their caterpillar stage. While butterfly species are often discussed, their caterpillars receive far less focus. This book highlights the unique characteristics of different caterpillar species, making it a great way to introduce children to early science concepts and nature exploration.
5. Butterfly Counting by Jerry Pallotta
- Uniqueness of This Book: Teaches butterfly in more than twenty languages!
- Preschool Age Focus: 3+
- Play-Based Activity: Have your child draw butterflies or place butterfly stickers on a piece of paper. Have your child count or label them with numerals, depending on your child’s ability.
- Interactive Reading Tip: Encourage critical thinking skills by asking, “How do you think a butterfly’s colors help keep it safe?”
Butterfly Counting is a wonderful book that not only reinforces counting to 25 but also introduces children to various butterfly species, interesting butterfly facts, practices colors, and teaches the word “butterfly” in over 20 languages. If possible, match the butterflies in this book to their caterpillar counterparts in 10 Little Caterpillars to create book-to-book connections and explore similarities between caterpillars and butterflies. This book also provides a great opportunity to expand color vocabulary and appreciate the beauty of nature.
6. Let’s Count Butterflies by Ekaterina Ladatko
- Uniqueness of This Book: Features beautiful watercolor illustrations in a simple board book format
- Preschool Age Focus: 2+
- Play-Based Activity: Look around the house and find objects that match the colors of the butterflies in the book.
- Interactive Reading Tip: Encourage opinions by asking, “Which butterfly is your favorite? Why?”
Let’s Count Butterflies is a beautifully illustrated counting book designed for younger preschoolers. Similar to Butterfly Counting, this book can be paired with 10 Little Caterpillars to create book-to-book connections and explore the similarities between caterpillars and butterflies. It serves as a great introduction to counting, colors, and the beauty of butterflies in nature.
Informative Butterfly Books
Preschoolers can handle the complexities of nonfiction! These books introduce fascinating facts while building background knowledge for future reading comprehension.
7. National Geographic Kids: Caterpillar to Butterfly
- Uniqueness of This Book: Features real photographs
- Preschool Age Focus: 3+
- Play-Based Activity: Hide toy butterflies or paper butterflies and go on a butterfly hunt.
- Interactive Reading Tip: Emphasize words like “chrysalis” and “wings” using gestures.
National Geographic Kids books are always a hit, and this one introduces young children to text features like captions and labels while providing stunning real-life photographs of butterflies. This book is a fantastic way to spark curiosity about nature and life cycles.
8. The Amazing Life Cycle of Butterflies by Kay Barnham
- Uniqueness of This Book: Provides detailed information about the butterfly life cycle
- Preschool Age Focus: 3+
- Play-Based Activity: Have your child act out the butterfly life cycle—curl up like an egg, crawl like a caterpillar, stay still like a chrysalis, and finally, spread their arms and “fly” like a butterfly.
- Interactive Reading Tip: Encourage imagination by asking, “What do you think it feels like inside the chrysalis?”
9. Moth & Butterfly: Ta Da! by Dev Petty
- Uniqueness of This Book: Teaches the differences between moths and butterflies in a fun and engaging way
- Preschool Age Focus: 3+
- Play-Based Activity: Pretend to be a butterfly and a moth! Have your child flap their arms like butterfly wings and “fly” around in the daylight, then dim the lights and have them switch to being a moth by flying in slow motion.
- Interactive Reading Tip: Encourage comparison by asking, “How is a butterfly different from a moth? Which one do you like better?”
Moths are often overlooked in children’s learning, missing a great opportunity to build background knowledge about these fascinating insects. Moth & Butterfly: Ta Da! fills this gap with humor and engaging storytelling, making it a fun and educational read.
Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) Butterfly Books
As adults, we know the importance of understanding others and their cultures, being mindful, and having a growth mindset—but these concepts can be tricky for young children to grasp. The following books, while focused on butterflies, allow you to introduce SEL topics in an approachable, engaging way.
10. If You Want to Be a Butterfly by Muon Van
- Uniqueness of This Book: Encourages mindfulness through a gentle, reflective message
- Preschool Age Focus: 2+
- Play-Based Activity: Pretend to be a mindful caterpillar! Have your child curl up like a caterpillar, take deep breaths, and “meditate.” Then, slowly stretch their arms and legs like they’re transforming into a butterfly, fluttering gently around the room.
- Interactive Reading Tip: Encourage self-awareness by asking, “How do you feel when you slow down and take deep breaths like a butterfly?”
This book introduces mindfulness in a simple, child-friendly way, helping young children develop self-regulation skills, patience, and an appreciation for the present moment.
Teaching mindfulness to preschoolers is a valuable tool, and If You Want to Be a Butterfly makes this practice engaging and accessible through a beautiful butterfly story.
11. Caterpillar Dreams by Clive McFarland
- Uniqueness of This Book: Encourages a growth mindset through a gentle, reflective message
- Preschool Age Focus: 3+
- Play-Based Activity: Create a simple obstacle course using household items to represent the caterpillar’s journey to reach their goal of becoming a butterfly. (Ex: Egg stage: do three egg rolls, Caterpillar: crawl under a tunnel, Chrysalis: Spin into a hulahoop, Butterfly: Use scarves as wings as you “fly” (run) your way to the “happy dance party” to celebrate being a butterfly!)
- Interactive Reading Tip: Encourage a growth mindset by asking, “Can you think of something that was really hard at first but got easier when you practiced?”
Caterpillar Dreams introduces young children to the concept of perseverance and self-belief. Teaching growth mindset at an early age helps children understand that challenges are part of learning and that their abilities can grow over time.
This inspiring book is a wonderful way to introduce the idea that, just like a caterpillar becomes a butterfly, we can all work toward our dreams with patience and persistence.
12. River of Mariposas by Mirelle Ortega
- Uniqueness of This Book: Focuses on the connection between nature, imagination, and cultural storytelling
- Preschool Age Focus: 3+
- Play-Based Activity: Make butterfly paint print by tying a rubber band around the middle of a rectangle sponge to make a butterfly shape. Dip in paint and make butterflies migrating together all over the paper.
- Interactive Reading Tip: Foster empathy by asking, “How do you think the character feels when they see the butterflies? Have you ever seen something in nature that made you feel amazed?”
River of Mariposas encourages curiosity, emotional connection to nature, and an appreciation for different cultures. It sparks imagination while reinforcing themes of wonder, discovery, and the beauty of storytelling across generations.
This book is a wonderful way to introduce children to new cultural perspectives while inspiring creativity and a love for nature.
Final Thoughts
Exploring butterflies through books fosters curiosity, creativity, and a connection to nature. Whether your child is learning to count, practicing mindfulness, or simply enjoying a great story, these books offer a magical reading experience!
When reading these books with your preschooler, consider the following:
- Encourage interactive learning by asking questions, making predictions, and connecting stories to real-world experiences.
- Use play-based activities to reinforce learning and make reading even more engaging.
- Make book-to-book connections to deepen understanding and build on previous knowledge.
If you’re looking for even more activities, check out these additional resources:
- For apple-themed book recommendations, check out this post!
- Interested in making a butterfly sensory bin? Learn how here!
Happy reading and butterfly exploring!
