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An Extraordinary Life
Pringle, Laurence. 1997. An
extraordinary life: The story of a monarch butterfly. Ill. by
Bob Marstall. New York: Orchard Books. ISBN: 0531300021.
In this informative and surprisingly entertaining book, Laurence
Pringle tells the life story of Danaus, a monarch butterfly. His story
begins with Danaus's birth and follows her flight south through America
and into Mexico. The story then tells of her return to America where
she lays her eggs before her life cycle is complete.
Pringle writes in an easygoing style that tells his narrative while
seamlessly instructing the reader on the many details of the life of a
monarch butterfly. Pringle is able to make these details a part of the
story so that they are integral to the plot and therefore do not seem
forced or out of place. Phelan comments on this in her review for Booklist when she states, "Rather
than giving the usual survey of the habits, habitat, life cycle, and
predators of butterflies, Pringle brings immediacy to his subject by
focusing sharply on one monarch, whom he names Danaus." For example, on
pages 16 and 17, Pringle explains the complex process of a caterpillars
metamorphosis by bringing it to life through Danaus's story. He tells
of the minutiae of the process by placing them in context, such as when
Danaus must get her cremaster into place so that she can continue her
metamorphosis: "Still head down and sightless, Danaus used her muscles
to twist the cremaster up around her old skin. She pushed it up toward
the stem. There! She felt the knob hook on to the silk! For a moment
she swiveled violently, driving more of the cremaster's hooks into the
mat. Then she stopped moving. The walls of her chrysalis slowly
hardened around her." (Pringle, p.17) Pringle is adept at describing
the life of a butterfly in such a way that a non-scientist will
understand without feeling as if Pringle is condescending. New
vocabulary and terminology are presented in context and at the
appropriate point in the text so that readers are able to digest it
without being overwhelmed.
Marstall's detailed and colorful paintings complement and extend the
text. The action and adventure of Danaus's journey is portrayed through
double page spreads, single page paintings, and sidebars. The paintings
in the margins with sidebar text are especially useful in comprehension
as they illustrate the concepts being discussed on the page.
This well organized book is divided into six chapters. Each of the
first four are titled with an appropriate caption that tells the part
of Danaus's life that will be covered, such as "To a Mountain in
Mexico." (Pringle, p.39) The last two chapters discuss conservation
issues affecting the butterflies and how to raise monarchs. An
extensive list of further reading and a comprehensive index are
included. Also helpful are maps throughout the book which show the path
Danaus takes on her journey. Although the extensive research and
attention to accuracy are self-evident in the text, the acknowledgments
at the front of the book written by the author and illustrator further
show their attention to the research through their list of contacts and
discussion of their trip to follow the path of the monarchs into Mexico.
This book will change the way readers view monarchs as they flit and
flutter through our field of vision each year. This book will be a
valuable asset to any library or class collection, and it will further
serve to ignite interest and invite further research or hands-on
activities.
Phelan, Carolyn. 1997. Book reviews. Booklist
93(14). In Books in Print (database online). Available
from http://www.booksinprint.com. Accessed 21 April 2005.
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