Butterflies Are Pretty ... Gross!: 06/13/21

Butterflies Are Pretty ... Gross! by Rosemary Mosco and Jacob Souva (Illustrations) is a picture book about the wide range of species that are butterflies. It highlights many of the exceptions to what we think of as butterflies.

Mosco draws the reader in with some interactivity. A host butterfly, a monarch by the looks of things, warns the reader to not turn the page. When the page is turned there's a further warning about how gross the truth about butterflies is. The reader is given one last chance and then after another page turn the facts begin.

The book includes facts about seven species which are further explained in an appendix. The species included are: Monarch, Harvester, Alcon Blue, Red Cracker, Giant Swallowtail, Red-Banded Hairstreak, and Julia Heliconian.

Details included are things like butterflies taste with their feet. To drive how odd that may seem, Mosco asks the reader what it would be like if their parents stuck their feet into their breakfast before serving it.

I like that this book focuses on the exceptions rather than the rules. There are probably dozens of butterfly books that cover the basic life cycle with the big reveal at the end of a gorgeous butterfly emerging from a cocoon. It's refreshing to read a book that decides to dive deeper into butterflies and the many ways that different butterflies don't fit their beautiful reputation.

Although Rosemary Mosco is an artist herself these illustrations are done by Jacob Souva. Mosco runs the Bird and Moon webcomic. Souva's illustrations are done in Photoshop. This is the first book I've read with his illustrations.

Five stars

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