In the pueblo of Palenque in Colombia, hardly anybody knows how to read. Curious about the letters her older sister Gina receives from a young doctor each month — letters that she is sure contain promises of love — one young girl makes a decision that will change her life, and the lives of every child in the pueblo, forever. With the help of Señor Velandia, the owner of the village shop, she will slowly unlock the letters of the alphabet and discover the magic of reading. And soon she will make a discovery that is more miraculous still — that letters are literally all around her . . .

"I highly recommend this extraordinary trip to the kingdom of the monarch."--Dr. Lincoln Brower, Sweet Briar College, the world's leading expert on the Monarch butterfly Each year, in the Mexican town of Contepec, migrating Monarch butterflies spend the winter in the temperate forests of Mexico. This children's book is an adventure story about two courageous cousins Eréndira and Corina. With the help of their community as well as Maria the Monarch butterfly, who speaks to them in their dreams, they save the lives of millions of Monarch butterflies threatened by illegal logging and traffickers of wild animals. Together they help preserve the natural and cultural wealth of their homeland. In an afterword "The Monarch: A Tireless Traveler" Betty Ferber describes the life and evolution of the Monarch butterfly, its migration from North to South America, and the establishment of the sanctuaries in Mexico and the laws that protect them. Homero Aridjis, one of Latin America's greatest living writers and environmental activists, is the author forty-eight books of poetry and prose including Eyes to See Otherwise (New Directions), Solar Poems (City Lights), and 1492: The Life and Times of Juan Cabezon of Castile (University of New Mexico Press). Juan Carlos Palomino won first place in the IV Catalog Iberoamerican Illustration in 2013 for his illustrations for Samir and Yonatan, published by Ediciones Castillo. Eva Aridjis is a filmmaker whose prize-winning films include Taxidermy: The Art of Imitating Life and Billy Twist, which played at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2003, she filmed Niños de la Calle (Children of the Street), bringing attention to Mexico City's poverty epidemic. Betty Ferber is the International Coordinator of the environmentalist collective Grupo de los Cien (Group of 100) and translator of Homero Aridjis's books.