A Flicker of Hope
by Cynthia Harmony; illus. by Devon Holzwarth
Primary    Viking    32 pp.
2/24    9780593525760    $18.99
e-book ed.  9780593525784    $10.99
Spanish ed.  9780593525791    $18.99

As cold weather gives way to spring, the monarch butterfly migration begins, and Lucía’s papá commences his own journey north. The forested region near the Mexican state of Michoacán is home to Lucía and her family (who are implied, from the back matter, to be Mazahua Indigenous people of the region) and to millions of monarchs, which hibernate there during winter months. Through lyrical text, Harmony describes the parallel journeys of the butterflies and migrant farm workers like Papá, who travel miles “across rivers and mountains” with a guiding sense of purpose; as he reassures his daughter: “When the weather turns cold and the monarcas return, our winged ancestors will guide me home.” Lush greens of regional flora frame almost every page and ground the connection between nature and people. The illustrations—rendered in gouache, watercolor, pencil, crayon, and digital elements—capture the flitting motion of the monarchs, shifting viewpoints to allow readers to admire their patterned wings or marvel at the specks of orange flying en masse. An author’s note detailing the monarch migration and the butterfly’s cultural significance in the region; a Spanish glossary; and a “How Can We Help?” section are appended. Concurrently published in Spanish as Un aleteo de esperanza.

From the January/February 2024 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.