My name is Diego Pedreros, and I'm the author of the book “Vuela, Vuela Mariposa / Fly, Fly Butterfly” (see the book description below). I want to thank all of you that have contributed to this project by buying the book. I also want to let you know that we have distributed the book to many parts of the world and the response has been very positive. I’ve come to realize that, due to the cost, the book isn’t reaching certain groups in our community—so I’ve decided to donate the book. I’ve already donated a large number of them, and I’ve also started a campaign to give the book to children locally and in different parts of the world. My goal is to find people or organizations that can help me cover production and shipping costs in order that the books will reach organizations that can distribute them for free.

Book Description

I wrote this book based on an experience I shared with my daughter when we went out to discover nature and found a swarm of Monarch butterflies at a butterfly sanctuary on the California Central Coast. After that encounter, a series of experiences unfolded that became a great learning opportunity for both of us. The bilingual book that resulted is more than a simple story:

The book can be enjoyed by people of all ages, but it’s primarily aimed at children between 4 and 12 years old. For younger children, it provides a way for parents and teachers to tell a nice story that is illustrated with beautiful drawings and photographs, and it lends itself to coloring and cutting activities. For older children, besides simply being an enjoyable and informative story about nature, the book demonstrates the application of the scientific method. Given all these attributes, the book is an excellent teaching resource that can be used in the classroom at a basic education level. In that respect, this book is a great contribution to reading lists, both in English and in Spanish.

This book is the result of committed teamwork. One of the artists, Evelio Casas, paints portraits on the streets of the center of Bogotá, Colombia; the other, Leoncio Amaya, sells his paintings in El Peñón Park in Cali, Colombia. The graphic design was undertaken by a young, up and coming graphic designer, Andrés Borrero, and the text and photographs are by Diego Pedreros (this is his first book). Diego was born in Cali and migrated to the United States when he was 20. He currently lives in Santa Barbara, California, and works as a researcher in Geography for the US Geological Survey in the area of food security analysis.

This book was published in late 2010 and, since then, has earned several awards and accolades. It received the honorary Skipping Stones 2011 award in the Nature and Ecology Books category (http://www.skippingstones.org/honors_98.htm), and it has also received very positive reviews from parents, teachers, and people involved in the Monarch butterfly world (e.g., see http://monarchwatch.org/blog/2011/01/book-review-fly-fly-butterfly/). The book has been favorably reviewed in several news outlets, including the Santa Barbara News Press and El Latino, it has been featured on television (TV Once, Mexico, UNIVISION Costa Central), and the author has been interviewed on radio (Enfoque Latino KPFK 90.7).

Campaign Goals
My goal is to find people or organizations that will cover the costs of production and shipping and handling for a total of ~USD$10.00 per book (within the United States)– to enable the book to be distributed to schools, museums, zoos, and other organizations that have contact with children.

Any organization that would like to receive one or more books can contact me at diego@forlymonarch.com.

I appreciate your consideration in this matter, and I will be glad to answer any questions you may have.

Thanks for being part of this dream.
Diego H. Pedreros

(See more here)