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[Im]Migration
is Natural!

Welcome

From the very beginning of beginnings, creation has moved and continues to move. Mountains erupt and volcano lava flows. The earth quakes as tectonic plates move, creating cracks that separate land. Winds blow across the face of the earth as tornados, hurricanes, and typhoons. As a result – all creation moves. It’s a natural response to nature on the move.

 

Seasonal change affects the rhythm of life and creation moves in response. Creatures seek safe spaces for breeding and giving birth; finding food, water, and shelter; seeking refuge from storms and violence. Join us as we explore how creatures on the land, in the air, and in the seas naturally move to meet their many needs. And along the way, let’s look at how we befriend them as welcoming neighbors, extending hospitality even as we receive the gifts of creation.

Directions

Take a map to guide you on the migratory path. Our StoryWalkR story, Migration by Gail Gibbons leads you along the way to large animal posters. The QR code links you to additional information such as audio or video clips and links to websites for each of the stations.

 

“The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier Vermont. Storywalk® is a registered service mark owned by the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.”

Air Migration

Butterfly: All are welcome here

Monarch butterflies travel north from Mexico towards Canada in the spring to lay eggs on the underside of milkweed leaves. Throughout the migration cycle this endangered insect depends on favorable weather conditions, access to food and water, and protection from natural and human predators. Monarch butterflies make significant contributions throughout their travels, acting as pollinators to support the biodiversity of plants in the locations through which they migrate. We can be good neighbors by providing milkweed plants and other native plants and water.

Fascinating Facts:

  • Monarchs travel 2500 miles over 4 generations in one migration cycle.

  • A single butterfly travels an average of 50-100 miles/day.

  • 300 MILLION monarch butterflies travel to the forests of Central Mexico for the winter. (National Geographic, pp. 22-23)​​​

Exit - Geese

Geese breed at their summer home in Canada and the northern United States. They use the Earth’s magnetic field, the sun’s position during the day, and stellar navigation at night to guide them. They also recognize prominent visual landmarks. For birds migrating at night, light pollution can make it difficult for them. Increasing numbers of geese are not migrating due to relative safety of urban areas. Geese are good neighbors to us, acting as natural lawn mowers, dispersing native plant seeds and enriching soil with nitrogen. They graze on dominant plant species preventing a single plant from overrunning the ecosystem. We can be good neighbors to geese traveling through our areas by remembering to turn off non-essential lights at night. We can also limit our use of harmful pesticides that kill off native plants and insects within our shared ecosystem.

Fascinating Facts:

  • Geese travel 3000 miles or more in one round trip, typically flying about 0 mph

  • Geese can fly 1000 miles in one day reaching speeds of 70 mph with favorable winds.​​​

Land Migration

Buffalo:No one illegal on stolen land

Many land creatures migrate in response to seasonal and environmental changes. Hoofed animals like the caribou in Canada and Alaska, wildebeests in East Africa, zebras, and Thomson’s gazelles move north towards their breeding grounds in the spring and summer, then return south for better access to food in the winter. Climate change and global warming associated with drought, extreme weather events, and shrinking glaciers affect migrating animals. Sometimes human populations further threaten natural migratory patterns by providing easy access to food in ways that deter migration. Migratory land animals contribute to the areas in which they feed, breed, seek shelter by serving as natural predators to animals that might over-populate an ecosystem. People can be good neighbors by creating safe passageways over or around heavily traveled highways.

Fascinating Facts:

  • Caribou travel in herds of up to 100,000 animals!

  • They can run almost 50 miles an hour and they travel over 1,000 miles over the same route each year.

Water Migration

Whale

Underwater migration occurs in oceans, rivers, and streams across the globe. These creatures face threats and challenges as they search for safe areas for food and breeding. One of the biggest challenges comes from people who throw trash into bodies of water that can build up in food sources. Another threat is from fishing nets that entangle whales. So how can we be good neighbors, even when we don’t live near sources of water? Find out where and how your local waste is treated and recyclables are recycled. Choose to use products and packaging that can be safely reused.

Fascinating Facts: (from National Geographic Kids, p. 43)

  • A sperm whale can grow to be 65 feet long and weigh up to 45 tons.

  • They are always traveling around the globe in search of food.

  • They can dive down to 1.5 miles and hold their breath for over an hour!

Resources

Enjoy the singing of humpback whales here.

Here’s more information on all types of whales and more specifically, the gray whale migration

Human Migration

Trees and Butterflies

People have been moving across the globe for over 250,000 years. Sometimes we have looked for educational opportunities or employment, to escape violence or natural disasters, or to reunite with family. But making the decision to immigrate is often complicated and challenging.

Children’s Books about Migration and Immigration

Books by Jacqueline Alcantara  (illustrator/author)

  • Wifredo’s Jungle

  • Just Shine!

  • Jam, Too?

  • Ordinary Days

  • Climb on

  • Your Mama

  • Jump at the Sun

  • Freedom Soup

  • The Field

Books for our collection

  • Bell, Samantha S. (2026). Cycles in Nature: Animal migration. Minneapolis, MN: Abdo Publishing.

  • Berkes, Marianne (2010). Going home: The mystery of animal migration. Naperville, IL: Dawn Publications.

  • Calderon, MJ (2023).  A kids book about Immigration. New York: DK Publishing. 

  • Carney, Elizabeth (2010).  Great Migrations. Washington, DC: National Geographic.

  • Gibbons, Gail (2020). Migration. New York: Holiday House.

  • Gieseke, Tyler (2023). Migration Cycles. Minneapolis, MN: Abdo Publishing.

  • The Global Fund for Children (2009). Global Babies/Bebes del mundo. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge. 

  • Horowitz, Ruth (2000). Crab Moon. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.

  • Lawrence, Jacob (1995). The Great Migration: An American Story. New York: Harper Collins.

  • Maclear, Kyo (2020). Story Boat. Canada: Penguin Random House Company.

  • Marsh, Laura (2010). Great Migrations: Whales. Washington, DC: National Geographic.

  • Morales, Yuyi (2018). Dreamers. New York: Scholastic.

  • Ringold, Faith (2016). We came to America. New York: Dragonfly Books.

  • Wheeler, Lisa: (2006). Mammoths on the move. New York: Houghton Miflin Harcourt.

  • Wilberforce, Bert (2023). The story of immigration and migration. New York: Cavendish Square.

  • Yolen, Jane, Lotfi, Marjorie, and Artiga de Pac, Raquel Elizabeth (2023). Straw Bag, Tin Box, Cloth Suitcase: Three Immigrant Voices. New Rochelle, NY: Reycraft Books.

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