On the leaf of a milkweed plant in Maine, a monarch butterfly lays a minuscule egg. Soon a caterpillar hatches, and before long a new butterfly flutters in the breeze. Within its lifetime this tiny monarch will fly more than two thousand miles on a mysterious migration south. On the way it will join millions of other migrating monarchs - some coming from as far north as Canada - creating shimmering rivers in the sky
At the end of
their journey these monarchs will be greeted by people whose
lives have been changed by their beauty and mystery. Every year
in Pacific Grove, California, the townspeople hold a parade to
welcome the butterflies after their arduous flight. And in a
small village In Michoacan, Mexico, where millions of wintering
butterflies hang from trees in "magic circles," the
villagers are replacing logging with tourism to preserve the
monarchs' fragile habitat.
With an arresting text and dramatic photographs, the award-winning team of Kathryn Lasky and Christopher G. Knight offers a unique view of the life cycle of this fascinating butterfly and a glimpse into the lives of people touched by a creature that weighs less than a gram... people who every year await the coming of the monarchs.