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.
