The Message of Monteverde / El Mensaje de Monteverde: An Adventure to Costa Rica's Cloud Forest / Una Aventura Al Bosque Nuboso de Costa Rica

Winner of the 2025 Ella's Way Children's Book Awards. This bilingual story and song, written in clever rhyme in both English and Spanish, is about Loli, a very kind girl, who is frustrated trying to please everyone. Suddenly Colibrí, a magical hummingbird comes along to tell her about the Monteverde Cloud Forest in far away Costa Rica, where plants and animals live in harmony. Loli travels by zip line with Colibrí to Monteverde, where she encounters a Resplendent Quetzal, Mr. Blue Jean Frog, Howler Monkeys, Mama Sloth and even a friendly Tarantula, all living symbiotically amidst beautiful flora and fauna. The Message of Monteverde reveals itself as she comes to the end of her journey and Loli realizes that kindness and compassion are what matter most. Fun facts of Costa Rica and musical notation for the song are included. Bright, colorful watercolor paintings illustrate the story, bringing it to life. Within each illustration is hidden a hummingbird, which helps engage the youngest and eldest readers.

Leslie A. Woods draws on her love of languages, culture and music to bring magic to her books. She spent many of her childhood summers on her grandfather's farm in Costa Rica and has traveled the world in a variety of occupations, including being a director/translator for the Miss Universe Pageant, and as a translator for mission trips to Honduras. She is a teacher of Spanish and French, a wife and mother and will always hold her Grandpa's farm and Central America in her heart.

Robin T. Nelson was born in Boulder, Colorado and was influenced by the beauty of the Rocky Mountains and the environmental awareness movement there during her college years. She is a live long traveler, learning the cultures of different countries and studying the physical appearances, personality traits, plus the habits and habitats of the different animals seen in her books. She has studied watercolor painting for years, but having recently retired from a career as a research scientist, can now devote more time to art and travel. Robin is scientist at heart, a devoted wife and mother and enjoys using her artistic skills for humanitarian purposes, to promote her love of the environment and to help children learn about the world and different cultures.