View source for Build a ... Butterfly by Kiki Ljung

{{Infobox1
|title=Build a ... Butterfly
|author=Kiki Ljung
|reviewer=Sue Magee
|genre=Children's Non-Fiction
|summary=An educational book which contains the makings of a 3D model which could be constructed by the 5 - 8 age group without much in the way of adult assistance.
|rating=4.5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=No
|pages=12
|publisher=Frances Lincoln Children's Books
|date=April 2017
|isbn=978-1847809155
|website=http://www.kikiljung.com/
|video=
|cover=Ljung_Butterfly
|aznuk=1847809154
|aznus=1847809154
}}

I love butterflies: they're one of the delights of my garden and it's always a pleasure when there are children there and they see a butterfly close up, possibly for the first time, as it rests on a flower.  Kiki Ljung has given us the opportunity to learn about butterflies and also to build a 3D model of our own.  The book is primarily aimed at the five to eight year old age group, but I have to confess that I had a great deal of fun building my own painted lady.  I learned quite a bit too!

It's a board book, but don't be deceived into thinking that it's a book for babies: it's a board book because there are press-out pieces with which you're going to build your butterfly.  The result is more substantial than you might expect and when constructed survives quite a lot of handling.  As you build you'll be fed quite a lot of information such as what's in the head or the thorax, the purpose of the antennae and why the abdomen has tiny holes.  Even relatively short finger nails will be sufficient to lift the pieces from the backing card (they can be replaced in their holders) and the pieces all slot together.  Each slot is numbered and there are instructions as to which slot it fits, although with a total of only ten parts intuition will take you a long way.  You might need to use something like a nail file to clear the slots, but it's not a difficult or particularly delicate job.  This is a useful way for children to learn to follow instructions and that 'if in doubt follow the instructions' is not necessarily a good guiding principle.

It took me about half an hour to build my butterfly; it could probably have been done more quickly but I enjoyed reading the accompanying text.  On the other hand I wasn't hampered by having adult help.  Did you know that the painted lady's wings catch and collect sunlight, helping it to fly and survive cold weather - a form of natural solar power?

The book has been published in association with the Natural History Museum which I think speaks for how lifelike the end result really is.  I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.

We've also seen Kiki Ljung's {{amazonurl|isbn=1847809162|title=Build A... T-Rex}} and whilst I can't confirm that the result was lifelike, I do know that it was just as much fun.

If ''Build A... Butterfly'' appeals then we think you might also like [[Press Out and Colour: Birds by Zoe Ingram]] which also includes some colouring.

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[[Category:Animals and Wildlife]]
[[Category:Crafts]]