100 books like Butterfly House

By Eve Bunting, Greg Shed (illustrator),

Here are 100 books that Butterfly House fans have personally recommended if you like Butterfly House. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

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Book cover of Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch

Kathleen Doherty Author Of The Thingity-Jig

From my list on picture books with hope, happiness, and empathy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a former reading specialist/educational specialist who still enjoys reading aloud to students, helping kids learn to read, and introducing them to quality literature. I love reading picture books...and I write them to entertain and empower kids.

Kathleen's book list on picture books with hope, happiness, and empathy

Kathleen Doherty Why did Kathleen love this book?

The story inspires sadness, hope, and happiness. At first, you’ll feel sorry for Mr. Hatch. You’ll care about him and wonder why he is the way he is. You’ll watch him receive a gift that has a lasting effect on him. Then, with a turn of events, you’ll feel sorry for him again. But by the end, you’ll be rooting for him.

By Eileen Spinelli, Paul Yalowitz (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

One wintry day, a postman delivers a mysterious package with a big pink bow to a lonely man named Mr. Hatch.

"Somebody loves you," the note says.
"Somebody loves me!" Mr. Hatch sings as he dusts his living room.
"Somebody loves me!" Mr. Hatch whistles as he does his errands in town.
"But who," Mr. Hatch wonders, "could that somebody be?"

When Mr. Hatch discovers just who his secret admirer is, the answer is even better than he could have guessed!


Book cover of The Night I Followed the Dog

Kathleen Doherty Author Of The Thingity-Jig

From my list on picture books with hope, happiness, and empathy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a former reading specialist/educational specialist who still enjoys reading aloud to students, helping kids learn to read, and introducing them to quality literature. I love reading picture books...and I write them to entertain and empower kids.

Kathleen's book list on picture books with hope, happiness, and empathy

Kathleen Doherty Why did Kathleen love this book?

This book inspires happiness and laughter. I used to throw my voice when I read it aloud to students. I’d stop reading halfway through the story and ask students to make a few predictions. Where could the dog be going? Why is he dressed up? Why is he sneaking out of the house at night? What could be going on inside the building?

By Nina Laden,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Night I Followed the Dog as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A story which looks at what dogs do at night when their owners are asleep, featuring a dog who runs a nightclub for stressed dogs. Illustrated in colour by the author.


Book cover of Doctor White

Kathleen Doherty Author Of The Thingity-Jig

From my list on picture books with hope, happiness, and empathy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a former reading specialist/educational specialist who still enjoys reading aloud to students, helping kids learn to read, and introducing them to quality literature. I love reading picture books...and I write them to entertain and empower kids.

Kathleen's book list on picture books with hope, happiness, and empathy

Kathleen Doherty Why did Kathleen love this book?

This book inspires hope and is based on a true story. Think about the pros and cons of a dog being allowed in a hospital. What could go wrong with a dog walking the halls and visiting patients? Is it possible for patients to actually benefit from being visited by a dog?

By Jane Goodall, Julie Litty (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Doctor White as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An illustrated depiction of a real-life story that celebrates the eternal, life-affirming bond between animals and humans Everyone loves Dr. White, a furry practitioner with four paws, a wagging tail, and an unorthodox bedside manner who day by day works his magic on very ill children at the hospital. Although his treatment is unconventional, it has a great success rate. But one day the health inspector arrives and bans Dr. White from the hospital. Who could have predicted the terrible coincidence that ends up bringing Dr. White back to the patients who love him? Based on a true story from…


Book cover of The Teddy Bear

Kathleen Doherty Author Of The Thingity-Jig

From my list on picture books with hope, happiness, and empathy.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’m a former reading specialist/educational specialist who still enjoys reading aloud to students, helping kids learn to read, and introducing them to quality literature. I love reading picture books...and I write them to entertain and empower kids.

Kathleen's book list on picture books with hope, happiness, and empathy

Kathleen Doherty Why did Kathleen love this book?

This story inspires empathy. You may recall a time when you lost something you treasured. Reading this book will get you caring for both the boy and the man in the story. Who needed the teddy bear more? How does the boy change from the beginning of the story to the end? Have you ever been generous like the main character?

By David McPhail,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Teddy Bear as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

A compassionate tale of friends lost and found.

"The Teddy Bear had a good home . . . a warm, cozy place to sleep . . . many friends . . . and someone who loved him."

The little boy and his teddy bear were always together. Every night, when the little boy went to sleep, his teddy bear was right there next to him. When the little boy went on a trip, his teddy bear went too-until one terrible day when the teddy bear was left behind . . .

This is the wonderful story of a friend who…


Book cover of Imago

Pat Henshaw Author Of What's in a Name?

From my list on gay relationships that shouldn’t work.

Why am I passionate about this?

For some reason, many gay men like to talk to me about what they find important. For my part, I love to listen. The subject often turns to couples they know and how they got together. The most interesting conversations center around how two unlikely men meet, fall in love, and marry. Because my first husband was a closeted gay man, I am interested in how gay men view love and how they decide whether to get married. I myself am neither gay nor male. I pass along what I’ve heard and learned in order to open readers’ hearts and minds. Peace.

Pat's book list on gay relationships that shouldn’t work

Pat Henshaw Why did Pat love this book?

My husband and I met in the newsroom at the Houston Post newspaper. On paper, I guess you could say we had the same job: writing for the newspaper.

But like Lawson Gale and Jack Brighton in this book, both of whom work to preserve the environment, our jobs weren’t the same at all. He was a political reporter while I was an arts reviewer. We have completely different passions.

When lepidopterist Lawson travels to Tasmania to find and protect an endangered butterfly, he’s escorted by Parks and Wildlife officer Jack and his Border collie. I’ll admit I wasn’t very excited to read this book, but did because a friend said it was “good”.

Since I have almost no interest in endangered butterflies and environmental problems, I was hoping for “goodish mediocre”. What I got was brilliance. The book is funny, suspenseful, playful, and romantic.

The bottom line is even…

By N. R. Walker,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Imago as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Nerdy, introverted genius lepidopterist, Lawson Gale, is an expert on butterflies. He finds himself in a small town in Tasmania on a quest from an old professor to find an elusive species that may or may not even exist.
Local Parks and Wildlife officer, Jack Brighton, is an ordinary guy who loves his life in the sleepy town of Scottsdale. Along with his Border collie dog, Rosemary, his job, and good friends, he has enough to keep from being lonely.
But then he meets Lawson, and he knows he's met someone special. There's more to catching butterflies, Jack realises. Sometimes…


Book cover of Goodnight, Butterfly

Kim Howard Author Of Do Mommies Ever Sleep?

From my list on picture books to make bedtime fun.

Why am I passionate about this?

With three kids, bedtime at my house is usually nuts. When we strike gold with a great bedtime read that’s funny or cozy, or better yet, BOTH, it becomes part of our permanent rotation. I love finding books that make my kids excited about story time (and just maybe encourage them to get through their bedtime routines a little faster). As a children’s picture book author, my own books are inspired by my kids’ everyday lives, and sleep, or lack thereof, is a topic that I always find so very relatable!

Kim's book list on picture books to make bedtime fun

Kim Howard Why did Kim love this book?

This is another funny pick that gets my kids giggling.

The main character is a butterfly with an endless amount of questions and plenty of excuses about why they can’t sleep (hmm…reminds me VERY MUCH of some children I know…). Butterfly’s friend Porcupine has good suggestions for Butterfly (and anyone else who needs to get to sleep already!) to try.

By Ross Burach,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Goodnight, Butterfly as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

“Everyone’s favorite frantic insect is back . . . this time trying to sleep.” — Kirkus Reviews This laugh-out-loud companion to The Very Impatient Caterpillar and The Little Butterfly That Could is perfect for bedtime—or any time! A delightful complement to the classic, Goodnight, Moon!

"Who needs to sleep at night, anyway? There’s so much I’d miss! I’ll just be nocturnal too. What do you think?" "I think we need to get you back to sleep." Readers will laugh themselves silly as they learn to find their inner calm and settle for sleep—even when they wake in the night—as they…


Book cover of The Very Hungry Caterpillar

Stephanie Calmenson Author Of Dinner at the Panda Palace

From my list on counting for young children.

Why am I passionate about this?

I've written more than 100 books including the counting books Dinner at the Panda Palace (HarperCollins / PBS StoryTime) and Dozens of Dachshunds (Bloomsbury / Scholastic Book Clubs).  I also write easy readers such as Stomp! (Ready-to-Read / JLG) and early chapter books including the Our Principal series and, with Magic School Bus author Joanna Cole, The Adventures of Allie and Amy series. As a former early childhood teacher and children's book editor, I'm a big fan of counting books and look forward to writing – and reading – many more. 

Stephanie's book list on counting for young children

Stephanie Calmenson Why did Stephanie love this book?

On Monday, a tiny, very hungry caterpillar ate through one apple. 

"But he was still hungry." 

On Tuesday, he ate through two pears, on Wednesday, three plums, and so on through the week. 

When he gets to Saturday, he eats way too much, starting with one piece of chocolate cake and ending with one slice of watermelon. 

That night he has a stomach ache! The caterpillar recovers on Sunday and, no longer tiny and no longer hungry, he builds a small house around himself called a cocoon.

In time, he becomes a beautiful butterfly.

With cutout pages and gorgeous Eric Carle art, this book is a joy to share with young children. 

By Eric Carle,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Very Hungry Caterpillar as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

There are so many ways to spend a sunny summer day. Join The Very Hungry Caterpillar and explore everything the season has to offer!

Celebrate summer with The Very Hungry Caterpillar and his friends in this exploration of the season. Young readers can learn all about seasonal sensory experiences, like listening to noisy bugs, feeling the warm sunshine, smelling the yummy scents of a cookout, and so much more!


Book cover of Butterfly Isles: A Summer in Search of Our Emperors and Admirals

Leif Bersweden Author Of The Orchid Hunter: A Young Botanist's Search for Happiness

From my list on nature in Britain.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a writer and a botanist with a lifelong interest in nature. I grew up in southern England where I spent my time running around the fields and woods searching for birds, insects and wild plants (as one does). As well as writing about nature, I run plant identification training courses and have a genetics PhD.

Leif's book list on nature in Britain

Leif Bersweden Why did Leif love this book?

This book is a classic natural history quest: Patrick Barkham tries to find all the butterfly species in Britain and Ireland in one summer. It explores our age-old relationship with these fantastic insects, the eccentricities of the butterfly watcher's world, and the author’s adventures along the way, all tied together by the challenge he’s set himself. This is a really entertaining book and brilliantly captures the butterfly obsession, offering an excellent portrayal of what makes butterfly watchers tick.

By Patrick Barkham,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Butterfly Isles as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Butterflies animate our summers but the 59 butterfly species of the British Isles can be surprisingly elusive. Some bask unseen at the top of trees in London parks; others lurk at the bottom of damp bogs in Scotland. A few survive for months while other ephemeral creatures only fly for three days. Several are virtually extinct. This bewitching book charts Patrick Barkham's quest to find all 59 - from the Adonis Blue to the Dingy Skipper - in one unforgettable summer. Barkham brings alive the extraordinary physical beauty and amusingly diverse character of our butterflies. He witnesses a swarming invasion…


Book cover of The Butterfly Garden

Jeff Berney Author Of The Fall of Faith

From my list on feed your dark side.

Why am I passionate about this?

Even as a boy, I could see (or maybe just sense) the darkness that resides just below the surface of this otherwise pleasant world. We all have stories, and the ones we hold closest to ourselves are often the darkest. Those are the stories that fascinate me the most. What are the limits of man’s menace? What causes seemingly normal people to snap? To turn on their fellow man? I could do one of two things with this fascination: become a sociopath (perhaps psychopath) or an author of dark, twisted, twisty tales. As you know, I chose the latter. 

Jeff's book list on feed your dark side

Jeff Berney Why did Jeff love this book?

First, this is not a book about butterflies or butterfly gardens. There is a garden, but it’s not a happy one. This is a book about collections, not of beautiful bugs, but of beautiful young women. My wife turned me on to Dot Hutchison and this novel after she’d listened breathlessly to the audiobook.

This book is intense. It has elements you’d expect from a serial killer thriller, but boy, does it get dark really fast. If you were abducted and forced to live a life of captivity in a lush mansion, complete with a gorgeous indoor garden, would you really feel like a prisoner? Um, yes, you would. Especially if your captor treated you and your fellow abductees like playthings, he can (and does) do anything to. This is another one of those disturbing thrillers that will stay with you long after you’ve finished it. Good thing it’s the…

By Dot Hutchison,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked The Butterfly Garden as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

An Amazon Charts bestseller.

Near an isolated mansion lies a beautiful garden.

In this garden grow luscious flowers, shady trees...and a collection of precious "butterflies"-young women who have been kidnapped and intricately tattooed to resemble their namesakes. Overseeing it all is the Gardener, a brutal, twisted man obsessed with capturing and preserving his lovely specimens.

When the garden is discovered, a survivor is brought in for questioning. FBI agents Victor Hanoverian and Brandon Eddison are tasked with piecing together one of the most stomach-churning cases of their careers. But the girl, known only as Maya, proves to be a puzzle…


Book cover of Butterflies Are Pretty ... Gross!

Jessica Fries-Gaither Author Of Nature's Rule Breakers: Creatures That Don't Fit in

From my list on teaching you something new about animals.

Why am I passionate about this?

I’ve been fascinated with the natural world for as long as I can remember, spending many happy hours in my childhood exploring forests, splashing in creeks, and hiking in parks with my family. Devouring books from the local library and participating in workshops at our local science center fed my interest and built a strong foundation in science. As I’ve grown older, I’ve become more and more fascinated by the tension between science’s goal to neatly classify and nature’s riotous complexity. It’s the exceptions, the grey, that keep me interested and draw in my students. I am an experienced science teacher and award-winning author of books for teachers and kids.

Jessica's book list on teaching you something new about animals

Jessica Fries-Gaither Why did Jessica love this book?

When I picture a butterfly, I imagine a delicate, lovely creature gliding across the sky. Not a foul-smelling flying creature that feeds on rotting flesh. But that’s the secret side of our (formerly) favorite insects that we meet through our knowledgeable monarch butterfly narrator.

My students couldn’t get enough of this fascinatingly disgusting book.

By Rosemary Mosco, Jacob Souva (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Butterflies Are Pretty ... Gross! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

Warning -- this book contains top-secret information about butterflies! Prepare to be shocked and grossed out by this hilarious and totally true picture book introduction to a fascinating insect.

Butterflies are beautiful and quiet and gentle and sparkly . . . but that's not the whole truth. Butterflies can be GROSS. And one butterfly in particular is here to let everyone know! Talking directly to the reader, a monarch butterfly reveals how its kind is so much more than what we think. Did you know some butterflies enjoy feasting on dead animals, rotten fruit, tears and even poop? Some butterflies…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in butterflies, empathy, and happiness?

Butterflies 39 books
Empathy 162 books
Happiness 349 books