Format: Hardcover
Pages: 160
Size: 8” x 8” x .5”
First published: April 12, 2017
Publisher: St. Lynn’s Press, Pittsburgh, PA
I first became interested in monarch butterflies 17 years ago. Since that time, I've studied them, raised them, tagged them for research, and lead tours to the Transvolcanic Belt mountains in central Mexico, where they migrate, to see them in their winter home.
I own quite a few books about monarchs and one thing I noticed was that the biggest lot of them were either children’s or youth books, or they tended to be textbooky. If someone wanted to buy a comprehensive book about monarchs that had the kind of information that covered most of the bases without being either too elementary or too boring, they’d be hard-pressed to find it.
I wrote THE MONARCH with the intent of bridging the gap that existed between both ends of that spectrum and now that it’s all said and done, I think I accomplished that goal.
The book starts with my story of how I became interested in monarch butterflies. That tale, which took me ten years to learn its ending, is nearly as fascinating as the monarch itself. It’s one of those “you can’t make this stuff up” kind of things.
• Eighty-five percent of the 160+ photos in the book were taken by me, over the last eleven years that I’ve been studying the monarch. You’ll find detailed images of every stage of the life cycle as well as many photos that are just plain pretty, because the monarch is an attractive subject!
• You’ll learn how the monarch has a place in the history books as well as how it plays a very important role in the lives of the Mexican people, where it spends its winters every year. You’ll learn which milkweed plants are best to plant for every area of the U.S. and Canada, and there’s a sample Monarch Waystation garden to help you plan your own.
• Perhaps most importantly, you’ll learn how you can help make the world a friendlier place for not just the monarch, but for other wildlife, because when you help the monarch, you’re helping other pollinators too – pollinators which are responsible for every third bite of food we take.
While this is not a children’s book, parents, grandparents, teachers, and anyone who has contact with kids will find fun projects for them to do. That said, most of the factual information about monarchs is appropriate for upper elementary students all the way through adults.
You can order the book in one of three ways: signed, personalized, or no signature at all. Be sure to choose the one you want and provide the personalization in the Note to Seller box if you want that. ENJOY!