book report: Waiting for Wings

Today we read Waiting for Wings by Lois Ehlert.



Because the wings we were waiting for arrived.  


this year our butterflies fluttered about us on the grass, visiting a bit longer before flying away


Waiting for Wings
written and illustrated by Lois Ehlert
published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2001
a beautiful combination of art and science for readers age 3 - 7

Ehlert recounts the life cycle of the butterfly through lyrical rhyming text 

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.

and her gorgeous, colour drenched illustrations. 


She follows 4 common butterflies (including, to our delight, Painted Ladies) from tiny eggs to caterpillars and their metamorphosis to butterflies.  

As the story is told, the reader turns partial pages that increase in size, 
(Those pages are just like in The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Ms Sandi.)
through eggs, caterpillars, chrysalises, and finally a full, glorious landscape of butterflies, foliage and flowers. 


Through labelled illustrations, Ehlert gives information about butterflies and butterfly-friendly flowers on the last few pages. 

I love the butterfly time of year!  Click on the links for more butterfly books and activities.



book report:  A Butterfly is Patient 

book report: Hope for the Flowers

make a butterfly kid - free printable template

butterfly song printable - sung to Up on the Housetop

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Waiting for Wings - a  perfect book to read once our wings were ready to fly.







 

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7 comments

  1. I am definitely adding this book to my insect unit. I love Lois Elhert and cannot think of why I do not have this book already! I love your student butterflies as well! Thanks for sharing!
    Mrs. Spriggs’ Kindergarten Pond

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  2. This would have been the perfect book for the insect unit I always did with my second graders each September. I always brought in from the milkweed patch some caterpillars that made beautiful butterflies. They usually went through all their changes overnight or when we were out of the room. But,one year the class was in the room when the chrysalises went from brown to a bright green in a flash! It was very quick and resembled how it looks when a computer screen brush quickly paints something from bottom to top. It was one of the most amazing things I ever saw! I had no idea the change occurred that quickly. Anyway, thanks for sharing this wonderful book!

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  3. This book looks wonderful! I love Planting a Rainbow and Eating the Alphabet that she did! LOVE your butterfly pictures! :)
    Carolyn
    Kindergarten: Holding Hands and Sticking Together

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  4. Waiting for Wings is one of the best!

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  5. This sounds like a great book! I am pinning this for use with our next insect unit study.
    Thank you for stopping by the Thoughtful Spot Weekly Blog Hop this week. We hope to see you drop by our neck of the woods next week!

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  6. Oh, I love this book by Lois Ehlert! And I love all the butterfly learning you did too. I'm excited to teach my kids the song! Thanks so much for linking up on Booknificent Thursday this week. Always love to have you!
    Tina

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