The Butterflies Return: Reading

The sisters walk on the mountain road holding hands. The trees make a ceiling above their heads. In the distance, butterflies fly in the air. The butterflies all look the same: large with orange and black wings.

This is the month of the butterflies’ return. Every year in October, the butterflies return to Mexico from Canada. They spend the winter in Mexico because the weather is warmer there.
The sisters are Mari and Posa. They are twins, born on the same day in October. Together, their names mean “butterfly” in Spanish. When Mari and Posa were born, their parents took them to see the butterflies. Now, every year on their birthday, the twins continue the tradition by returning back to the mountains to see the butterflies again.

This year, the twins will be 10. Mari and Posa hold hands as they enter the place where the trees open up. The butterflies are everywhere: sitting on tall grasses, sleeping on trees, flying in the mountain air. A butterfly touches the place where Mari’s and Posa’s hands come together. The sisters count, “One, two, three.” Then they whisper their birthday wishes into the air. What do you think they wish for?

Put an X beside your stopping time on the progress chart, then answer the questions on the back of this page.