Many months ago when I chose The Butterfly Alphabet through the Scholastic book club news I had no idea what the book would entail. This is a book that is sure to please lovers of nature and those that enjoy the beauty of a butterfly. The author, Kjell B. Sandved first did the poster of the alphabet and numbers and received a Parent’s Choice Award. For further details on the poster call 1-800-ABC-WING. The poster is the back cover of The Butterfly Alphabet and the last page with the following excerpted:
“The photographs in this book were created by Kjell B. Sandved using optical equipment he devised himself. To achieve sharp images of the tiny wing scales, Sandved attached special Zeiss microscope lenses to bellows. He set electronic strobe lights at specific angles to capture the colors. He used Kodachrome 25 ASA transparency color film, as well as color correcting films.
The text type was set in Folio Light, Medium and Bold. The display type was set in Cerigo Swash and Zapf International.” The very first page of the book has a quote from Christina Rossetti, “ Hurt no living thing; Ladybird, nor butterfly Nor moth with dusty wing”
There is a note to Readers from December of 1995 by the author explaining it took twenty-five years with visits to over thirty countries to compile the photographs for the book and find the entire alphabet on the wings of butterflies and moths. This started as a hobby that led him to New Guinea and the Far East crawling on the ground in search of butterflies.
The book is set up with the picture of the moth or butterfly and the letter it represents of the Alphabet. At the bottom of the page is the correct name of each butterfly with the opposite page being the larger detailed picture. It is enjoyable to go through the book and try to find where that certain letter is on the wing of each butterfly or moth. I had no idea the beauty this book would behold. For those with a curious mind this is a nice relaxing book to sit outside in your own garden with and enjoy the scenery in the book and outdoors.
The author states that butterflies are the “symbol of the soul” with nature’s message being it is written on the wings of butterflies”. The Butterfly Alphabet will spark the imagination of adults and children alike. After the alphabet is complete, there is a page devoted to butterflies beginning with the line, It is a caterpillar in a wedding gown”. It is explained in detail the differences between a butterfly and moth. While butterflies are active during the day the moth is out at night. Both their wings are made up of tine scales. They are part of the insect order entitled Lepidoptera meaning “scaly winged”.
The following three pages at the end of The Butterfly Alphabet are some facts on each of the identified butterflies and moths in the preceding photographs. Sometimes a butterfly must be killed in order to make a precise identification. The author received additional help by two friends from George Mason University and The National Biological Services. Also included beside each butterfly is the region this butterfly or moth can be found at.
A Black Witch Moth can be found in Venezuela
Christmas Swallowtail Butterfly is found in West Africa
Birdwing Butterfly is in New Guinea
Metalmark Butterfly is in Peru
Small Brown Shoemaker Butterfly can be located in Guatemala
Common Buckeye Butterfly is in the Southern United States
The Featherwig Metalmark Butterfly has jet-black scales that are long like feathers
Tiger Ithomine Butterfly is a bright red color warning other butterflies it tastes bad
Uraniid Moth flys silently during the day
Agrias Butterfly has scales that give off perfume attracting females
The alphabet images are truly breathtaking and worth devouring over time and again. For the letter A it starts with a birdwing butterfly with the “A” being a bright orange that is similar to the color of a match when lit. By looking through each page you can focus on the wing first and find the alphabet image and see just how this author captured the butterfly or moth and find other interesting images on them as well.
For the Christmas Swallowtail Butterfly it is easy to spot the blue “C” in its wing and the phrase on the page states “ The rainbow gave to butterflies Spots of color just their size”. For each phrase under the alphabet the word that begins with that alphabet is displayed in pastel colors such as violet, olive or red. The “L” represents the Metalmark Buttterfly with the letter a red color shown on each wing. “ The flutter of their little wings Inspires love for all small things”.
Another butterfly I have never seen is the Agrias Butterfly with a U on the wing in red colors and the blue background. “Each morning, butterfly wings unfold Their treasure: scarlet, blue and gold.” The numbers displayed in The Butterfly Alphabet poster are one through zero. The butterflies and moths profiled in this masterpiece of a book are truly exquisite showing their vibrant colors in blue, green, gold, gray, yellow and red. Each photograph shows a butterfly or moth in various sections of a page with their wings open and some show their legs or antennas. The patterns are unique for each kind and this helps them find others when searching for mates and looking out for predators. Their markings serve as camouflage so they can blend in naturally with their surroundings. The book shows their size accurately which ranges from one inch to twelve inches across.
The author did not kill or harm any butterflies or moths for the purpose of this book. They were photographed during early morning hours when they were less active and at night when it was cooler. There are more than fifteen thousand species of butterflies and one hundred fifty thousand moths in the world.
This would enhance any nature lovers’ library plus teach children and adults about butterflies and moths found throughout the world. The book also has appeal to photographers and artists to display on their coffee tables and get ideas for taking photos and learning about what other objects out there can be captured in print.
For purchasing The Butterfly Alphabet you can check out www.scholastic.com for details on how to order online if it is still available through that market or wait for school to begin in the fall for a special deal. Currently this is available at amazon.com for $16.95.
The past two years my children have learned in school about caterpillars and butterflies so this would enhance the experience in the classroom for even a preschooler and adults like parents and grandparents who like to explore with the little ones.
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