Butterfly Count

By Sneed B. Collard III
Illustrated by Paul Kratter

When Amy's great-great-grandmother farmed the prairie, the regal fritillary was her favorite butterfly. But now, many years and many lost acres of habitat later, the regal fritillary is rarely seen at all. Amy and her mother are going on a 4th of July butterfly count on the family's old land, and Amy is downright determined to find the regal fritillary once again.

While I found this book during my search for books on "endangered animals," this book seems to strike a chord for conservation instead. The two go hand-in-hand, of course, but I think this book is especially great to use here in Iowa because it is very relevant to our own land. Did you know that 99% of Iowa's native prairie was destroyed and plowed to make room for all of our farms? And the regal fritillaries, once a common sight among the tall prairie grasses, are in danger of going extinct. Additionally, the 4th of July butterfly count is an actual national event, which makes this book seem even more realistic. While the story itself is fiction, I really appreciated the realistic details included.

Overall... this probably isn't the most entertaining or the funniest book that kids will ever read, and to be honest some will even probably find it boring. But personally, I really value its realism and the message it tries to send. It would work perfectly within a broader discussion of either endangered species or nature conservation.