Review by Booklist Review
The Sibert Medal--winning creators of Parrots over Puerto Rico (2013) join forces to tell another moving story of conservation, this time about Hawaii's Kamehameha butterfly. They truly start at the beginning, taking readers back to the island chain's volcanic birth and then zipping forward to the early nineteenth century, when King Kamehameha united the Hawaiian islands under his rule. This is how Hawaii's endemic black, orange, and white butterfly came to be named Kamehameha. The book now leaps to 2009, when six fifth-graders asked local lawmakers to make the Kamehameha butterfly, the population of which was dwindling, Hawaii's state insect. The children were successful, and the state government went on to start the Pulelehua (Butterfly) Project with the help of the University of Hawaii and a lot of citizen scientists. All this comes to life in Roth's paper collages, which beautifully mix texture and color, as she creates everything from delicate butterfly wings to an opalescent comet's tail. Trumbore's engaging writing is saturated with information that is accessible to a broad audience, as a simple phrase runs along the top of each page for young readers that sums up the more detailed paragraphs at the page's bottom. Readers will be excited to see kids playing an important role in the conservation of this butterfly, so be ready with additional resources on local citizen-science opportunities. A beautiful story beautifully told.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Beginning with the history of Hawai'i's geological formation ("layers of lava piled up") and moving to its sociopolitical history--King Kamehameha's early 19th-century uniting of the island chain now known as a U.S. state--this nonfiction book centers Kamehameha's namesake butterfly, which "lives in Hawai'i and nowhere else on Earth." After fifth grade students successfully campaigned to elect the butterfly as state insect in 2009, people became aware of its shrinking population and formed the Pulelehua Project, which, with the help of citizen scientists, bred and released thousands of the insects back into nature. The previous collaborators (Parrots over Puerto Rico) begin each page with spare, consecutive sentences, employing ellipses across the spread's gutter ("Children spoke up.../ and a law was passed") and a denser paragraph of additional information in each page's lower third ("The students told lawmakers that the butterfly's numbers were shrinking"). Roth's intricate collages offer lush layers of cut shapes in a variety of colors and textures, which, combined with simple phrases ("Butterflies laid eggs.../ and caterpillars hatched), are particularly fitting for readers below the stated age range. An eco-conscious narrative suited to invigorating older children's own activist efforts. Back matter includes an informative afterword, photographs, an illustrator's note, and author's sources. Ages 8--12. (Feb.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 1--4--Conservation, citizen science, and a perennially popular juvenile nonfiction topic come together in this beautifully illustrated title about Hawai'i's Kamehameha butterflies. The narrative begins with the formation of the Hawaiian islands and introduces Kamehameha as the king who unified the islands under his leadership. He also had a butterfly named for him. In 2009, six fifth-grade students campaigned to get the Kamehameha butterfly named as Hawai'i's official state insect in an effort to raise awareness of the population's decline. The Pulelehua Project was formed, and its scientists asked Hawaiian citizens to record and submit data of the butterflies in their natural habitats in the stages of their life cycle. This information helped determine where and when to release butterflies from a breeding program into the wild. The text works on two levels to expand its intended audience range. The top of each spread features a short sentence, often with a repetitive clause, that draws a simple throughline in the story. More complex scientific concepts and explanations are included in paragraphs near the bottom of the pages. Roth's intricate and appealing collages elevate the title, opening strongly on an exploding volcano and making each page turn an anticipatory delight. An afterword, illustrator's note, acknowledgments, sources, and photograph credits are included. VERDICT A triumph; highly recommended for all libraries.--Kacy Helwick, New Orleans P.L.
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
The history and species-conservation story of the Kamehameha butterfly, native to Hawaii. Millions of years ago, volcanoes formed the Hawaiian Islands, and over time plants reached the islands via wind, water, and birds. With the plants arrived insects, like the forebears of the special butterfly found only in Hawaii. The Kamehameha butterfly's name is explained with a brief history of King Kamehameha and how he united the Hawaiian Islands. Skipping ahead to 2009, Roth and Trumbore relate how a group of fifth grade students decided the Kamehameha butterfly should be Hawaii's official state insect. Explaining the butterfly's declining numbers, they asked state leaders to pass a law recognizing the butterfly as the state insect, hoping it would help in its protection. It worked: With the passage of the law, Hawaii residents began to ask about the butterfly, sparking a cooperative project among the government, a local university, and citizen scientists. It's a bilevel text, with a simple text in a large font running across the tops of pages and telling a poetic story and short paragraphs beneath in a smaller font that go into greater detail. Roth's distinctively textured collage illustrations are stunning, portraying the butterfly's life cycle and the people who helped save the species. Pronunciations of Hawaiian words are at the bottom of each page. A beautifully illustrated account of both a butterfly and the people who worked to save it. (afterword, photos, illustrator's note, authors' note, sources) (Informational picture book. 5-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
