Monarch! Come Play with Me

by Ba Rea

Monarch Come Play with Me, by Ba Rea, uses large, detailed illustrations and the inquiries of a young girl to present a monarch caterpillar’s metamorphosis from egg through caterpillar and chrysalis to butterfly for children between the ages of 3 and 9. The text, written for early second grade readers, revolves around the similarities and differences between the development and activities of monarchs and children. An informational text at the end of the book introduces readers to the process of scientific discovery through the story of Dr. Fred and Norah Urquhart's search — with the help of many citizen scientists — for the eastern monarchs’ overwintering home. This text, written at a fourth grade reading level, shows readers how science is used to answer questions.

32 pages, Paperback

First published May 15, 2006

About the author

All of her life, Ba Rea has been passionate about about the natural world — enjoying, investigating, learning and sharing what she discovers.


Ba has researched, drawn, photographed and written about many different plants, animals and natural phenomena. She has worked with a wide variety of organizations, including the Audubon Society of Western Pennsylvania, Maine Audubon, Audubon Society of New Hampshire, Monarchs in the Classroom, Lifestrands, Ridge2000, Wings of Wonder, ASSET, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Frick Environmental Center, the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum, and the Anita Purves Nature Center in Urbana, Illinois. Her favorite creatures are monarch butterflies, but praying mantids, toads, American eels, puffins, and whales are all close contenders! Ba has been raising and releasing monarchs since 1970. She has been introducing school children and teachers to them for over 15 years and teaching a course for teachers interested in using monarchs in the classroom since 2000.

Ba earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois, in 1979, in an Individual Plan of Study, called Visual Literacy, which combined studies in illustration, educational psychology and natural history. In order to better understand how children learn and how teachers teach, Ba completed an elementary teaching certification program at Chatham College in 1996. She continued her studies at Chatham College, earning her Masters in Children’s and Adolescent Writing (MACAW), with an emphasis on natural history writing, in 2001.

Reviews

[Beatrix · Rating 3 out of 5]

the pictures are really scary

[Shannon Wick]

Monarch! Come Play with Me by Ba Rea uses an interesting combination of real-life photos of monarch butterflies in conjunction with an illustrated character to follow the sequence of a monarch caterpillar's metamorphosis from an egg to a caterpillar to a chrysalis and ultimately to a beautiful butterfly. The author's use of voice allows readers to really connect with the inquiries of a young girl who wants to play with her little friend. Written at a 4.0 reading level, this text is able to show readers how science can be used to answer questions that one may have.

[Mary]

The park naturalist at Blendon Woods used this during a program