The Mystery of the Monarchs

May 15, 2022
How the mysterious migration patterns of monarch butterflies were mapped from Canada to Mexico by scientists and volunteers. "By the time he was eight, Fred Urquhart was a bug man." Though Urquhart's work has been well documented for young audiences, most recently in Meeg Pincus' Winged Wonders (2020, illustrated by Yas Imamura), this brisk and lively account of his decadeslong search focuses on the role played by thousands of "amateur scientists," particularly schoolchildren, of three countries in finally tracking the butterflies to their winter quarters in mountains west of Mexico City. Rosenstock fills in details about the monarch's life cycle over several appendixes, noting both the worrisome fact that migratory populations have declined in numbers some 80% over the past 20 years and that we still don't know just how the insects find their way over such a distance. Along with butterfly-strewn representations of Urquhart and his wife, Norah, both White, and groups of volunteers that are diverse in both race and age, Meza, who was born in Michoac�n, Mexico, where the monarchs have special significance, especially to the Pur�pecha and Mazahua people, adds an afterword in which she describes visiting Michoac�n and meeting the community that is collectively caring for butterflies through sanctuaries. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A classic case study of crowd-sourced science in action. (map, source list) (Informational picture book. 7-9)

COPYRIGHT(2022) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2022
The idea of something as tiny and delicate as a monarch butterfly migrating thousands of miles is fascinating even before you learn that for many years no one knew where they were going. Rosenstock and Meza trace the story of entomologist Fred Urquhart, who was determined to find out where the monarchs spent the winter; his wife, Norah, who had the idea of asking for help from the public in tracking the butterflies; and the people across North America who participated in this first monarch citizen-science project. Illustrations in a mix of watercolor, gouache, pastels, pencil, and coffee splashes depict the delicacy of the monarchs' wings and the curiosity of the many people who interacted with them. Extensive back matter includes author and illustrator notes; a life cycle of the monarch; information about the children who, in 1975, tagged the butterfly that proved monarchs traveled to Mexico from Minnesota; notes from several organizations continuing to work with monarchs; and a list of sources. Laura Koenig

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

April 3, 2023
Grades 1-3 Rosenstock (The Noisy Paintbox, 2014) introduces Canadian zoologist Fred Urquhart, who, together with his wife, Norah Roden Urquhart, and thousands of volunteers, solved the mystery of where monarch butterflies go in the winter. Studying insects over the years, Fred realized that nobody could give him an answer, though many had theories. A highlight of the book is Rosenstock's chronicle of the lengthy trial and error that's often involved in science, as Fred is shown trying and failing, repeatedly, to mark monarchs so that others could find ones he released and tell him their location. Another great lesson is next: science is collaborative. Norah asked the public for help with tagging and volunteers responded with gusto, documenting sightings that allowed the scientists to follow the butterflies to Mexico, where more collaboration, and more years of frustration and legwork, lead to finding the monarchs. The mystery, the work, and the eventual triumph are all given engaging treatment by Rosenstock, whose informative lesson on how science functions is accompanied by Meza's brightly colored watercolors depicting Fred and Norah and the many child and adult volunteers, always with butterflies flitting about. A lovely addition to classroom and library shelves.

COPYRIGHT(2023) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

July 1, 2022
The idea of something as tiny and delicate as a monarch butterfly migrating thousands of miles is fascinating even before you learn that for many years no one knew where they were going. Rosenstock and Meza trace the story of entomologist Fred Urquhart, who was determined to find out where the monarchs spent the winter; his wife, Norah, who had the idea of asking for help from the public in tracking the butterflies; and the people across North America who participated in this first monarch citizen-science project. Illustrations in a mix of watercolor, gouache, pastels, pencil, and coffee splashes depict the delicacy of the monarchs' wings and the curiosity of the many people who interacted with them. Extensive back matter includes author and illustrator notes; a life cycle of the monarch; information about the children who, in 1975, tagged the butterfly that proved monarchs traveled to Mexico from Minnesota; notes from several organizations continuing to work with monarchs; and a list of sources.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)