Monarch and Mourning Cloak

A Butterfly Journal

Melissa Stewart author Sarah S Brannen illustrator

Format:Hardback

Publisher:Simon & Schuster

Publishing:12th Mar '26

£12.99

This title is due to be published on 12th March, and will be despatched as soon as possible.

Monarch and Mourning Cloak cover

A luminously illustrated and thoroughly informative picture book poetry collection by Sibert Honor–winning duo Melissa Stewart and Sarah S. Brannen that captures the beauty and complexity of monarch and mourning cloak butterflies.

Monarch and mourning cloak butterflies may seem similar on the surface; they are about the same size and common throughout North America. But following along at a butterfly’s-eye-view, readers will discover how they live in different habitats, eat different foods, and have different strategies for avoiding enemies and making it through winter. Because even though all butterflies have the same basic body features and life cycle, each species has its own special way of surviving.

Delightful and illuminating poems, informational sidebars, and lush illustrations will immerse curious young readers in the lives of these two fascinating butterfly species.

*The author focuses on the familiar orange monarch and the less-celebrated brown mourning cloak, comparing their adaptations through accessible verse. . . . Brannen’s illustrations, rendered in watercolor, pen, and pencil, evoke authentic field sketches, complete with color-swatch palettes, date and time stamps, and observational notes presented in a naturalist’s handwriting. . . . The stunning “A Winter’s Rest: Monarch” spread demonstrates Brannen’s meticulous attention to detail—hundreds of individual monarchs clustering on fir branches in their Mexican hibernation site create a mesmerizing tapestry of orange and black against evergreen and sky blue. . . . Enthusiastic young naturalists will devour every detail. A pretty, thoughtful celebration. -- Kirkus Starred Review * December 15, 2025 *

ISBN: 9781665962711

Dimensions: 254mm x 267mm x 3mm

Weight: unknown

48 pages