The Monarch
by Kirsten Hall; illus. by Isabelle Arsenault
Primary    Atheneum    48 pp.
5/25    9781665943420    $19.99
e-book ed.  9781665943437    $10.99

“Wings unfurl. Plop! A pearl!” An eastern monarch butterfly lays a small, round egg on a leaf. A caterpillar hatches (“Pop! A girl!”) and a chrysalis forms. Then “our caterpillar, tightly swaddled, will make you gasp! She’s been remodeled.” This sequence will likely be familiar to readers; Hall’s adept rhymes and pleasing rhythms breathe life into the information, as do Arsenault’s friendly illustrations, which feature smiling caterpillar and butterfly characters and bursts of vibrant colors on pastel backgrounds. As in the creators’ The Honeybee (rev. 7/18), the lyrical text and eye-catching mixed-media illustrations provide snapshots of the species’ life cycle and behaviors. A butterfly sips flower nectar and lays eggs. Another one finds a suitable mate (“Two butterflies chase. Two butterflies dance”) and locates milkweed on which to lay her eggs. A third one joins a brilliant swarm of other eastern monarchs as part of their epic annual migration from Canada to Mexico and back again. Read quickly, the text might seem to focus on one butterfly, but the back matter states that “it will take upward of four or five generations” to complete the “full migration circle.” The text hints at this, and sharp-eyed readers will note the subtle difference among the three main butterfly characters in the art (pay attention to the neckwear). An appended author’s note provides more facts, including dangers to monarch populations and how readers can help.

From the July/August 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.