The Monarchs Are Missing:A Butterfly Mystery

Reviewed by: Kathy George - Gray Public Library, Gray, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: October 9, 2018

Review

In this 56 page book, the reader is given a crash course in the plight of the monarch butterfly. Summering in the United States,those monarchs that live east of the Rocky mountains travel some 3,000 miles to a few remote areas in Mexico, only to return in the spring. Sadly, like many insects and animals before them, the monarch is in danger of becoming extict. Ms. Hirsch lays out the history, the life cycle, the migration and perils facing these insects that weigh no more than a raisin and fly on paper thin wings. The studies show that not as many monarchs are reaching Mexico, they are not surviving the winter in Mexico and they are not coming back to the US in the numbers they once did. Scientists between the United States and Mexico are looking at what is going wrong. Climate change, loss of habitat, invasive species, human interference( cars kill large numbers each year)all contribute to their loss. After giving all the negatives, Hirsch empowers the reader to help save these "canaries in the coalmine". Plant, Plant,Plant! Wildflowers, milkweed corridors,care of our forests by scientists, citizen scientists and butterfly lovers can give the monarch a fighting chance.There is an author's note in the back as well as a glossary, further reading, citizen scientist organizations, and ways everyone can help. Photographs, charts and maps add to the reader's interest. Like the monarch itself, this is a small book with lots to say. Add to STEAM selections on butterflies, climate change, endangered species and what citizen scientists of any age can do to help.

Overall Book Score: excellent