Do Butterflies Make Butter?

Years ago, Brandall’s young son came to her while she was working in her garden and asked, “Mama, do butterflies make butter?” And the idea for this book was born that very day. The tractor in each illustration is a nod to her son and his love of the outdoors. Do butterflies make butter? Yes, absolutely! Yes, indeed! In the spring, summer, and fall, butterflies go from place to place, gathering petals from yellow flowers—piles and piles, until they have enough. They visit daffodils, pansies, forsythia, crocuses, primroses, roses, poppies, dandelions, irises, lilies, buttercups, goldenrod, sunflowers, marigolds, zinnias, and chrysanthemums. They gather the petals from so many yellow flowers, but none of any other color. Then they mix the petals in the white moonlight with morning dew gathered from their wings. And then the butterflies add something special that only they can make! Once that’s done, it’s time to choose a shape for the butter. What will they pick? This children’s poem paints an imaginative picture of butterflies gathering to make butter out of yellow flowers, sharing seasons, colors, and flower names along the way.