Reading guide · Goal 13 · Climate Action
His Name is Murphy!
Ages 6 to 14
A free reading guide for families and teachers: questions by age, vocabulary and activities.
About the story
When her father stretches out the last vowel of her name, Abril knows she is in trouble. She has left Murphy, the beetle they caught together on a trip to the countryside, out in full sunlight in his insectarium. Beetles like the sun, she objects, but her father explains what will happen if the water evaporates and the plants dry out. Abril is only half listening: she is off to meet her best friend Clara. Alongside her story runs another. Xiuhtezcatl, whose name means turquoise mirror in Nahuatl, the language of his Aztec ancestors, grows up hearing their legends and his mother's soft songs. When Tonauac, the oldest and wisest man, asks the children what troubles them, the others say grades, boys and parents. Xiuhtezcatl says the world and the future. In secret meetings, Tonauac tells him stories of a flooded island and a people facing drought, and prepares him for a fight. What fight can a boy who feels like nobody take on? The story is inspired by the young activist and hip-hop musician Xiuhtezcatl Martínez.
Themes to talk about
- Looking after what you love
- Thinking ahead, not only about what we like right now
- Young voices speaking up for the planet
- Indigenous wisdom, legends and elders
- Xiuhtezcatl Martínez and Earth Guardians
Questions to discuss
Ages 6 to 8
- Who is Murphy, and why is Abril's father cross about him?
- What does Abril's father do with the insectarium after she leaves?
- What does the name Xiuhtezcatl mean?
- When Tonauac asks the children what worries them, what does Xiuhtezcatl answer? What worries you?
Ages 9 to 11
- Abril's father says she cannot just think about what the beetle likes in the moment. What does he mean? How is that like looking after the planet?
- In Tonauac's first story, the men cut down a palm tree to build a boat. Why is that better than just climbing the trees?
- Tonauac says, 'you must always be ready for what might come.' What could a family or a town do to be ready for floods or droughts?
- Xiuhtezcatl protests that he is nobody and cannot build boats or pyramids. How does Tonauac answer him?
Ages 12 to 14
- Abril insists Murphy has a name because he is hers. Why might naming something make us care for it more?
- In the drought story, the people build a pyramid to rise above the crowd and be heard. What are today's ways of being heard?
- Tonauac says no one listens to the trees, the pyramids, the stars or the elders any more. What could we learn by listening to them?
- Research Xiuhtezcatl Martínez and the lawsuit young activists brought against the US government in 2015. What were they asking for?
Words to learn
- beetle
- An insect with a hard shell covering its wings.
- insectarium
- A box or tank for keeping and watching insects.
- evaporate
- When water turns into vapour and disappears into the air.
- Nahuatl
- The language of the Aztecs, still spoken by many people in Mexico.
- ancestors
- The people in your family who lived long before you.
- nomads
- People who move from place to place instead of living in one spot.
- drought
- A long time with little or no rain.
- climate change
- The long-term warming of the Earth, mostly caused by burning coal, oil and gas.
- activist
- Someone who works to bring about change in society.
Activities
30 minutes
Murphy's perfect home
Materials
- A clear plastic box with air holes, or a drawing of one
- Soil, leaves, a twig and a bottle cap of water
Steps
- Design a home for a beetle like Murphy: shade, plants to eat, water, places to hide.
- Decide where it should stand so it gets light but not full sun all day.
- Write a care rota: who checks the water and the plants, and when.
- Talk about how planning ahead for Murphy is like planning ahead for the planet. If you use a real insect, release it where you found it.
25 minutes
Be ready for what might come
Materials
- Paper and pens
Steps
- Retell Tonauac's story of the island in your own words.
- In groups, choose a climate risk for your area: floods, heatwaves, drought or storms.
- Make a plan: what is your 'boat'? What could your home, school or town do to be ready?
- Share your plans and pick the idea that is easiest to start now.
30 minutes
Speak loudly, sing boldly
Materials
- Paper and pens
- A simple beat: clapping, a table or a phone
Steps
- Write down one thing about the planet that worries you, as Xiuhtezcatl says the world and the future.
- Turn it into a short rap or chant of four lines.
- Practise it over a simple beat.
- Perform for the group, and talk about why music can carry a message further than a speech.
The link with SDG 13
Goal 13 calls for urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts, and Target 13.1 asks every country to be better prepared for climate-related hazards and disasters, while Target 13.3 calls for more education and awareness. His Name is Murphy! connects both: Tonauac's story of the flooded island teaches Xiuhtezcatl to be ready for what might come, and his songs teach others to care.
All about SDG 13: Climate Action →Frequently asked questions
What age is His Name is Murphy! for?
This guide offers questions for three age bands: 6 to 8, 9 to 11 and 12 to 14. Younger children enjoy Abril and her beetle; older readers can explore young people's climate activism and Tonauac's parables.
Which Sustainable Development Goal does His Name is Murphy! cover?
It covers Goal 13, Climate Action, through a story inspired by Xiuhtezcatl Martínez, a young environmental activist and hip-hop musician who uses his voice to speak up for the planet.
Where can we read His Name is Murphy!?
The full book is in the Eco Heroes library, available to members with a family or school plan. This reading guide is public and can be used by anyone at home or in class.
Read the whole book
“His Name is Murphy!” is in the Eco Heroes library for members with a family or school plan. This guide is public: use it freely at home or in class.