Every spring, butterflies emerge and dazzle the world with their vibrant beauty. But where do butterflies come from? How are they born? What do they eat--and how? With a simple, rhyming text and glorious color-drenched collage, Lois Ehlert provides clear answers to these and other questions as she follows the life cycle of four common butterflies, from their beginnings as tiny hidden eggs and hungry caterpillars to their transformation into full-grown butterflies. Complete with butterfly and flower facts and identification tips, as well as a guide to planting a butterfly garden, this butterfly book is like no other. Lois Ehlert, beloved illustrator of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and many other bold, beautiful picture books has outdone herself with this gorgeous (seriously breathtaking) celebration of butterfly metamorphosis. "Out in the fields, eggs are hidden from view, / clinging to leaves with butterfly glue. / Soon caterpillars hatch. They creep and chew. / Each one knows what it must do." As the gentle rhyme unfolds, we turn the small, partial pages that form the larger spread of fabulous foliage in this lush, oversized book. Before our eyes, the eggs turn to caterpillars, the caterpillars to cases, the cases to lovely butterflies. "They pump their wings, get ready to fly, then hungry butterflies head for the sky." The colors become increasingly dazzling, each butterfly springing to life with Ehlert's color-soaked cut-paper magic. Several pages of background material conclude the book, labeling different kinds of butterflies at different stages of development, from the buckeye butterfly to the painted lady to the monarch. A "Butterfly Information" page clearly labels butterfly anatomy and answers basic question about these fascinating fluttery insects, a "Flower Identification" page showcases butterfly-attracting flowers such as the purple coneflower (echinacea), phlox, and lantana, and the last page offers a few pointers on growing a butterfly garden. (Ages 3 to 6) --Karin Snelson K-Gr 2-A beautifully woven blend of information about caterpillars, butterflies, and the gardens that attract them. Vibrant colors jump off of white backgrounds to show realistic-looking butterflies and flowers in Ehlert's signature cut-paper-collage style. The artist is creative with paper size. Overall, the book measures 10 by 12 inches. Open the front cover, however, and readers see a smaller internal page that actually blends its illustrations into the endpapers surrounding it. The pages then become increasingly larger until they are full sized to showcase the butterflies in search of a flower garden. Ehlert deftly documents the caterpillars' life cycle. "Caterpillar changes now begin-body and wings take shape within. When it's time, each case is torn-wings unfold; new butterflies are born!" The story completes its arc with the butterflies ready to begin their life cycle again. The remaining pages identify the various butterfly and flower species showcased in the story, depicting the adult, the caterpillar, chrysalis, and an example of the type of leaf it eats. Information on how to grow a butterfly garden rounds out this stellar presentation.-Lisa Gangemi Krapp, Middle Country Public Library, Centereach, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc. Ages 4-6, older for reading alone. In a field, butterfly eggs stick to leaves, then hatch. Caterpillars eat and "make a case" in which to grow. Then the cases tear and butterflies emerge, pumping their wings. They sip nectar from the flowers, then fly back to the fields to lay their eggs. Following this simple story, a colorful spread depicts the caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly stages of the Buckeye, Painted Lay, Monarch, and Tiger Swallowtail butterflies. Three more pages lay out basic information about the physical characteristics, life stages, and food of butterflies; pictures of the flowers that butterflies favor; and advice on planting a garden that attracts butterflies. The large format allows for an unusual device: the first half of the story takes place in one small section of the field, which is represented on a double-page spread. Small pages at the bottom of the spread turn so that minor changes to the eggs, caterpillars, and chrysalises can be shown within the larger framework. Although this concentrates children's attention on the subtle changes taking place, the overall consequence is a rather static first half of the book. However, that in turn heightens the effect of flight when the butterflies finally take off, glowing in silhouette against a white background. Ehlert's sense of form, color, and design inform every page but are seen to best effect where garden and butterflies combine in a glorious riot of pink, purple, red, yellow, orange, green, and tawny hues. The short, rhyming text reads aloud well, telling the story without anthropomorphism. An original and vivid introduction. Carolyn Phelan Copyright © American Library Association. All