Feeling summery yet? How about two beautiful books about butterflies to really get you in the mood for the season!

Sometimes it's the simple things in life that make it worth living. Like finding a quiet spot (quite a quest in itself) to laze in a grassy field, listening to bird song and watching butterflies flitting between flowers.

Two new books are perfect for nature lovers who want to know more about these fascinating insects.

Starting with "The Butterfly House" by Katy Flint and Alice Pattulo, over 100 species of butterflies and moths are presented in exquisite detail, with tons and tons of interesting facts and nuggets of information about each species in turn.

Coupled with beautifully hand-drawn illustrations of each butterfly and moth, you'll soon get up to speed identifying some of our more common butterfly species, and perhaps even some of the rarer ones as you enjoy some time out in the summer sunshine.

Not just a book for country dwellers, you'll find that butterflies are everywhere, and moths have staked out a claim in many of our urban environments too.

Authoritative and detailed, this is a fantastic resource to dip into during the warmer months.


"The Butterfly House" by Katy Flint and Alice Pattulo is out now, published by Frances Lincoln Children's Books.

There's also "How to be a Butterfly" by Laura Knowles and Catell Ronca.

Should a butterfly be big or small? Should it be bright and bold, or perfectly pale? A joyous, imaginative, yet informative non-fiction picture book about what it takes to be a butterfly – body parts, behavior and life cycle – with the underlying message that diversity is a wonderful thing and that, in fact, there are 20,000 ways to be a butterfly!

Not only beautiful to behold, butterflies provide an opportunity to introduce a variety of environmental topics. Serving as key indicators of biodiversity and healthy ecosystems, they face threats of extinction due to climate change and habitat destruction – all vital subjects for children today.

With stunning illustrations displaying a colourful array of different butterfly species, each labeled with its scientific name, and fascinating details about their anatomy and life cycle, there is plenty for young nature lovers to spot and explore time and again.