with stripes of yellow and orange around its body. Creep, crawl,
creep, crawl it went along a milkweed plant, until it found a juicy
leaf. It ate and ate and grew and grew. By and by, its skin was
too small--so off it came. Another skin grew and still the caterpillar
ate and ate. It went along a milkweed plant, until it found a juicy
leaf. It ate and ate and grew and grew. By and by, its skin was
too small--so off it came. Another skin grew and still the caterpillar
ate and ate. By and by, that skin was too small--and off it came, too.
After it had outgrown several skins, the caterpillar was big enough.
Down hung its body with the head a little curled up. The next day
the skin split and dropped off for the last time. And the caterpillar
wasn't a caterpillar any more. It was a pupa in a pale green shell
with gold points--like an ornament hanging from a Christmas tree.
and the pupa wasn't a pupa any more. Out dropped a fat butterfly
with folded-up tiny wet wings. It hung on to the empty shell with
long black legs. Its body grew long and thin. Flutter--went the
wings and grew long, wide, and stiff. Soon there was a beautiful
Monarch butterfly with orange wings that had black edges and
white spots. Flutter--flutter-- went the wings. Soon the
butterfly was strong enough to fly up--up--and away.
The eggs hatched into slinky-stripy caterpillars. The slinky-stripy
caterpillars ate and ate, and one day turned into pupas that had
green and gold shells. And the pupas turned into butterflies
with orange wings that had black edges and white spots.
AND SING-ALONG PAGES