When
A Place for Butterflies—my very first
picture book—came out in 2006, I was over the moon. But I never could have
imagined how well it would be received by award committees or how popular it
would become with young readers.  And
over time, it spawned a series that includes six books.

But
as times have changed, so has the plight of some of the butterflies in the
book. For some, the situation has improved. For others, unfortunately, it has
declined.

By
the middle of 2013, my publisher and I were concerned that the book was beginning
to seem outdated. At first, I thought the book would go out of print, but then
my publisher offered a fantastic solution—a second edition. The art and design would
stay the same, but I would have a chance to revise the text. That way young
readers could get the most up-to-date information.

I’m
very happy to announce that the new edition of A Place for Butterflies is now available. I’ve also updated the
educational materials that go with the book to address changes in education, so
the new Teachers Guide is aligned to both The Common Core standards and the Next
Generation Science Standards. Teachers can also download a song and lots of
related activities to do with their students. So in the end, everyone wins.