Text copyright © 2024 by Karla Valenti.
Illustrations copyright © 2024 by Ana Ramírez González.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.
ISBN 978-1-7972-0793-3 (hc), 978-1-7972-1340-8 (epub reflowable), 978-1-7972-1357-6 (epub fixed-format), 978-1-7972-1356-9 (Kindle)
Design by Jill Turney.
Typeset in Air, Shag Exotica, and Uravika Classy.
The illustrations in this book were rendered in gouache.
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I dedicate this book with love to anyone who has experienced the loneliness of being far from home. And to Daria, for giving this story its wings.
—KAV
To my dearest Levi: May your wings always carry you to places where your heart is happiest, and may you find boundless happiness in every flight of life’s journey.
—ARG
One brand-new morning, in a brand-new city, on the very first day of a brand-new school, a gift arrived from Mexico.
“¡Una mariposa!”
María said.
And she was right.
But this was no ordinary butterfly …
For on its wings, it carried the memory of home: the gold and orange of sunsets over deep blue seas, the purple of flower-heavy jacaranda trees, the polished turquoise of Abuelita’s earrings.
And as it filled María’s room, it made her feel a little less lonely and a lot more brave.
María thought she might take the butterfly to school.
But the butterfly had a better idea.
“¡Yo soy María Mariposa!”
With magic like this, María Mariposa knew she could do anything.
She made Mami her favorite hot chocolate.
She helped Papi do all the dishes.
She even made sure Tomás ate every bite of his breakfast.
And she gave Pecas a hundred kisses!
But María Mariposa wasn’t about to stop there.
She made Mr. Peterson smile with a beautiful drawing of Mrs. Peterson, whom he missed dearly.
She got Ms. Friedman’s cats to finally stop fighting.
And she made Simon feel better by telling him his favorite joke!
María Mariposa had so much Mexico magic to give that it spilled into the street and onto everyone she saw.
But when the big yellow school bus arrived, María felt a little nervous.
