UCSB alumnus Diego Pedreros obtained his BA in Geography in 1997, entered the Geography graduate program in 2007, and was awarded an MA in Geography in Fall 2009 (“The Effects of El Niño in Agricultural Water Balance in Guatemala”). Diego is currently a Geographer with the USGS and a visiting researcher for Professor Joel Michaelsen’s Climate Hazards Group. In his “spare time,” Diego has also written and published an exquisite children’s book dedicated to his daughter:
“In the last three years, I have dedicated part of my time to writing a book for my daughter AmaRa. What began as a story written on a pack of stapled papers is now a beautiful book that I would like to share with you. Through the book, the reader learns about the life of the Monarch butterflies and enjoys beautiful paintings and photographs and much more. The book is the result of a great working team; the story was inspired by the love and curiosity of a girl, and the text was created more by the love of a father than by a writer.”
“Fly, Fly Butterfly” is a bilingual book (currently in Spanish and English, but soon to be translated into Korean, Chinese, German, Swahili, and other languages) and is, indeed, beautiful—the text is charming, the illustrations are lovely, and the layout and graphics are superb. To cap it all off, Diego is donating 40% of the purchase price ($20 before shipping and handling) to an educational, health, or environmental organization of the purchaser’s choice.
Diego’s description of the metamorphosis from a father-daughter’s exploration of the Sperling Preserve at Ellwood Mesa in Goleta to the publication of the book is as charming as the book’s text:
“The following words are directed to those of us that in one way or another become teachers of the children in our lives; I am referring to friends, family members, instructors and primarily we, the parents, who are our children’s first teachers. This book was developed with the objective of keeping alive a series of experiences that I had with my daughter AmaRa after finding and learning about a beautiful Monarch butterfly. The story begins with the visits to a sanctuary of Monarchs close to our new home in the city of Goleta, California. After a few trips to the sanctuary, we were surprised to find that the butterflies were gone, an event that brought up many questions. What began as a visit to nature turned into a beautiful adventure on a winter day when we found a butterfly that was not able to fly because its wings were wet, and my daughter asked my wife and me if we could bring her new friend home. A beautiful relationship grew between the girl and the butterfly. Once home, our daughter came up with many questions about the life of her new friend. This led us to investigate the life of the Monarchs.
The visits to the library and learning about the life of her new friend opened doors to new worlds. For example, it was an opportunity to share what we were learning about the life of the Monarchs, as well as the magic of the sanctuary with friends and family. Also, finding out that the butterfly has a goal, one that takes it a whole life to accomplish, showed us that we also could accomplish such goals every time if we believe that they are possible and if we reach for the strength of our hearts and work to obtain them. Finally, all these have helped me understand that many of the virtues, as well as limitations, that we see in our children come from us, the teachers. So, as we overcome our own barriers, we can give more and make each moment an opportunity to learn alongside our children.”
For more about this delightful children’s book, check out the Forly Monarch web site (named after AmaRa’s nickname for the first Monarch she found). “Fly, Fly Butterfly” is currently endorsed by the Elwood Monarch Grove, Isla Vista Elementary School, and Laguna Blanca School; for further details, contact Diego Predreros at diego@forlymonarch.com.
Article by Bill Norrington
