"A work of art. In each of the pages, you will feel the flow of a
powerful energy which will murmur to each of your cells that it is time
to come out of hiding, to open the windows, to breathe freely, to dress
colorfully... to fly."--Laura Esquivel, author of Like Water for
Chocolate
An illustrated fable for all ages about a Mexican-American girl who
transforms into a monarch butterfly and undertakes the great migration
to Mexico, Monarca braids together the values of heritage, ecology,
and personal transformation.
On her thirteenth birthday, Inés receives a mysterious necklace from her
abuela in Mexico that turns her into a monarch butterfly--the fulfilment
of a prophecy linking Inés' destiny to her family's legacy and the
butterflies' survival.
The adventure continues as Inés joins the monarchs on their long journey
south to the butterfly sanctuary in Mexico--an odyssey that has become
increasingly perilous due to human activity. Together, the swarm travels
from the northeast to the swamps of Louisiana to the pine-filled
mountain tops of the western Sierra Madre, finally alighting at the
Sierra Chincua sanctuary. On this wondrous journey in the vein of
Jonathan Livingston Seagull and The Little Prince, Inés discovers
the connections between all living beings, and the urgent need to
protect the monarchs' migration and habitats.
Divided into four chapters to mirror the four stages in a monarch's
life--egg, larva, pupa and butterfly--Monarca blends Mexican folklore,
environmentalism, and magical realism in an enchanting novella.
Illustrated with stunning full-color drawings by Leopoldo Gout, this
book will inspire readers to protect and cherish the sacred natural
world around them.
