Nature’s stunning synergy is on full display here, as readers learn the intricacies to monarch survival, from their need to find a warm place at night to their innate sense of direction that guides them yearly to a toasty volcanic region in Mexico for safe harbor during North America’s changing seasons. Kaufman emphasizes the monarch’s fascinating resilience throughout, as she follows other butterflies to her winter destination—and manages to reconnect with the group even after she’s blown off course, into a desolate desert. Always, the story’s star depends on her community for survival, and Kaufman’s depiction of this balanced harmony will speak volumes to younger readers.

Natural photography created by various artists dots the landscape of Kaufman’s debut in an effort to bring the monarch’s journey to vivid life: a curious-eyed ocelot provides a safe place for the monarch to pass a chilly night, fir trees are carpeted in tangerine waves of monarchs seeking heat, and wildflowers are rendered in flashy colors across lush meadows. The butterfly’s journey starts anew at the book’s close, when she carefully places her own eggs, knowing “Her young would find their way. They came into the world knowing many things.”

Takeaway: Delicate rendering of a monarch’s maiden voyage to Mexico for the winter.

Comparable Titles: Carrie A. Pearson’s Stretch to the Sun, Katherine Pryor’s Home Is Calling.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-