Narrative vs. Expository Writing

There are so many different types of writing, but the two we are going to focus on right now are Narrative and Expository.

The main purpose of narrative writing is to describe an experience, event or sequence of events in the form of a story.  An example of a narrative writing about Butterflies would be the book Charlie the Caterpillar by Dom Deluise.

This is a summary that Amazon has on their website.  "As Charlie the Caterpillar meets one group of animals after another playing together and having fun, he asks if he can join in. But each time he's told not welcome -- because he's ugly. As winter approaches, Charlie spins himself a cocoon. When spring arrives, the cocoon opens and out comes Charlie -- now a beautiful butterfly. Everyone wants him to be part of their group. But Charlie puts these fair-weather friends properly in their place in this heartwarming story about the meaning of true friendship."

The main purpose of expository writing is to give the reader information, and explain or describe something to the reader.  An example of a expository writing about Butterflies would be the book The Life Cycles of Butterflies: From Egg to Maturity, a Visual Guide to 23 Common Garden Butterflies.

Accomplishing exactly what its title promises, this book describes in text and photos the butterflies that commonly visit gardens in the eastern states.