LibGuides: G5: Little Monarchs Writing Project: Home

Description

Welcome! This guide will help you learn more about two important topics from Little Monarchs: Día de los Muertos and monarch butterfly migration. Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a holiday from Mexico where families honor and celebrate loved ones who have passed away. Monarch butterflies are special too—they travel thousands of miles every year between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. Some people believe the butterflies arrive during Día de los Muertos, carrying the spirits of family members with them. Use this guide to explore books, videos, and websites that will help you learn more, make connections, and get inspired for your writing project!

Course Text

Little Monarchs by Jonathan Case
ISBN: 9780823451395

Publication Date: 2022-04-05

In Little Monarchs, 10-year-old Elvie and her caretaker, Flora, may be the only ones who can save humanity after the sun has made life on Earth nearly impossible. With the help of monarch butterflies, they create medicine that lets them survive in daylight as they travel across the western United States. Along the way, they face danger, discover the wonders of nature, and search for a cure that could protect everyone.

Plant Milkweed
Jonathan Case's guide to planting milkweed. Image credit: Jonathan Case, Little Monarchs, 2022.

Artistic Connection

Metamorphosis & Migration: Days of the Dead
The Oakland Museum of California's 2017–2018 exhibition, Metamorphosis & Migration: Days of the Dead, explored the life cycle and migration of monarch butterflies as a metaphor for the return of souls during Día de los Muertos. Curated by Evelyn Orantes, the exhibit featured traditional ofrendas (altars), contemporary artworks, and rare butterfly specimens, highlighting themes of transformation, remembrance, and cultural continuity.

Journal & News Articles

Mexico’s Butterfly Warriors
This article by Eric A. Powell in Archaeology magazine explains how monarch butterflies were important to the people of ancient Mexico. The butterflies’ yearly migration may have been seen as the return of the souls of loved ones or warriors. Today, this idea is connected to Día de Muertos, when people celebrate and remember those who have passed.

Arrival by Christin Parcerisa
In the article Arrival, published in National Wildlife magazine, Christin Parcerisa describes the incredible journey of monarch butterflies as they travel from Canada and the United States to the forests of central Mexico. These butterflies cover thousands of miles to find a safe place to rest during the winter. The article also explores how this migration is connected to the Mexican celebration of Día de Muertos, a time when people honor and remember their loved ones who have passed away.

Winged Messengers: How Monarch Butterflies Connect Culture and Conservation in Mexico
This article from Smithsonian Folklife Magazine explains how monarch butterflies are important in Mexican culture. People believe the butterflies carry the spirits of loved ones and their arrival in Mexico happens at the same time as Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead. The article also talks about how communities are working to protect the butterflies and their habitats so they can continue their amazing migration each year.

ML/UL Librarian

Lindsey O'Sullivan

She/Her/Hers

Email Me

Contact:

215 Chastain Park Ave NW, Atlanta, GA 30342

(404) 252-8389 ext. 119

Honoring Homero Gómez Hernández

They build an altar to a monarch butterfly activist
In October 2022, students at the Universidad Autónoma de Tamaulipas in Reynosa created a Día de Muertos altar to honor environmental activist Homero Gómez Hernández, who worked to protect monarch butterfly habitats in Michoacán. The altar included traditional decorations and colors representing monarch butterflies, highlighting the connection between the butterflies’ migration and Mexican cultural traditions.