Can a Butterfly Cause a Hurricane?

The Big Questions Answered series explores the science behind different topics and fields of study. This book, CAN A BUTTERFLY CAUSE A HURRICANE, introduces children to the concept of chaos theory. Through real life and made up examples, this book aims to introduce children to the power that one small action can hold and the changes that it can make.

Daniel Limon, the illustrator for this book, does a wonderful job at drawing detailed but simple illustrations. Each drawing is filled with life and color, a fantastic combination for a children’s book! Daniel makes the illustrations feel alive, drawing weather and animals in motion.

Chaos theory is a hard topic even for some adults to understand, but this book does an admirable job at introducing the topic to children. The book gives a fictional (but not necessarily fake) situation to explain how a small creature or simple decision can snowball and lead to extraordinary changes. It’s a great example for young children, broaching the topic without getting too into it. It might not work with all readers, but it’s an acceptable way to introduce the idea.

This book is suggested for readers aged 5 to 9, but it may very well appeal to readers both younger and older. Lower level readers may struggle a bit with the vocabulary in this book, but the book does thankfully have a glossary at the back to define the words for them.

CAN A BUTTERFLY CAUSE A HURRCANE introduces young readers to the idea of chaos theory through fictional and real life situations. With vivid illustrations and interesting situations, this heavy topic is brought down to the appropriate level for young readers.