XÓCHITL Y PAPLOTL

In Aguirre-Magaña’s book for young readers, a young Mexican girl witnesses the beauty of a butterfly migration as danger lurks nearby.

Ten-year-old Xóchitl lives with her family in Michoacán, Mexico, near the off-limits, somewhat mystical “Forbidden Forest,” a sanctuary for many animals, including monarch butterflies. When the migrating butterflies arrive, Xóchitl revels in their beauty and notices one weakened from the journey. Xóchitl remembers she can earn a wish from the goddess Xóchitlquetzal by helping the butterfly, so she helps it take nectar from plants and eventually follows it deep into the forest to feed. But having trespassed, Xóchitl awakens “El Cucuy,” “a hunchbacked boogeyman with red beady eyes” who kidnaps naughty children. Xóchitl quickly runs away as El Cucuy chases her through the forest, only stopping when Xóchitl sings her butterfly song and lulls him to sleep. Eventually, Xóchitl escapes and returns to her home, grateful for Xóchitlquetzal’s protection, and continues to observe and sing to the butterflies from afar. While the text is mostly in English, the song Xóchitl sings to the butterflies and El Cucuy has both an English and Spanish version, though they aren’t always direct translations. Aguirre-Magaña uses the Nahuatl word for butterfly (“papalotl”) as well as Xóchitl’s name and the presence of Xóchitlquetzal, the Aztec goddess of beauty, flora, and fertility, to indicate the story’s indigenous Mexican inspiration. There are some fun, challenging words for young readers, like “ornery,” “ghastly,” and “imp.” With some exceptions, such as the monstrous El Cucuy and the images of the butterflies arriving like a “spot inched forward, turning into a ribbon, a ribbon with strands of hundreds of monarchs flying above the treetops,” the prose lacks description, so it’s unclear what Xóchitl or the forest look like; the text seems better suited to complement a children’s picture book than to function on its own.

A whimsical but somewhat vague story of natural and cultural appreciation.