Biodiversity  •  Dorothy Hinshaw Patent NATURAL HISTORY •  2003 •  PAPER  • 96 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A photo-essay for kids ages 10-12 on the concept of biodiversity and its meaning and significance, featuring 85 color photographs. (NAT96, $7.95)
Brazil, A True Book  •  Ann Heinrichs CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1997 •  PAPER  • 48 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) An overview of Brazil -- landscapes, citizens and history -- for children 6 to 8. With its large color photographs, large-scale maps and focus on kid-friendly topics, this book is an engaging primer. (BZL32, $6.95)
City of the Beasts  •  Isabel Allende LITERATURE •  2005 •  PAPER  • 416 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS Part coming-of-age narrative, part adventure story, this young adult novel set in the depths of the Amazon jungle oozes the magical realism for which the acclaimed Chilean author is famous. 15-year-old Alexander accompanies his reporter grandmother on assignment in the jungle where she searches for a legendary beast. Appropriate for ages 12 and up. (AMZ93, $7.99)
Go and Come Back  •  Joan Abelove LITERATURE •  2000 •  PAPER  • 177 PAGES • YOUNG ADULTS In this young adult novel, Joan Abelove, an anthropologist who spent two years among the people of the Peruvian Amazon, tells the fictional story of two anthropologists in Peru. The tale is narrated by a young woman of the fictitious Isabo tribe who's reluctant to like the American women, whom she finds stingy and obtuse. It's an unusual novel about cultural differences, geared for readers ages 12 and older. (AMZ80, $5.99)
The Great Kapok Tree, A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest  •  Lynne Cherry NATURAL HISTORY •  2000 •  PAPER  • 36 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) With lush full-page watercolors and a simple message about conserving natural resources, this best-selling book is a favorite for young readers ages four to eight. It's a fable in which forest animals convince a man not to chop down the magnificent tree that provides them with food and shelter. (AMZ53, $7.00)
Journey to the River Sea  •  Eva Ibbotson LITERATURE •  2003 •  PAPER  • 336 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) In this excellent and right-minded novel, a spunky English schoolgirl finds adventure aplenty in the Brazilian Amazon -- no thanks to her boring, unimaginative cousins, who douse themselves in insect repellant and refuse to budge from indoors. Eva Ibbotson is well-known as an author of children's fantasy books, and a boundless energy also infuses this more realistic (set in 1910) novel. Ages 9-12. It's got great characters, a fantastic setup and plenty of drama, not to mention some fully realized descriptions of actual flora and fauna. (AMZ79, $6.99)
One Day in the Tropical Rain Forest  •  Jean Craighead George NATURAL HISTORY •  1995 •  PAPER  • 66 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) The Newbery Medal-winning author of "Julie of the Wolves" goes south for this brief and gripping nonfiction portrait of the Amazon. It's a race against time, as Dr. Rivero and his young native guide save the rain forest from a lumber company. In the course of their search for a prize butterfly, they encounter sloths, army ants and birds -- all vividly described. A slim chapter book geared for children about age eight. (FST08, $4.99)
Secret of the Andes  •  Ann Nolan Clark  •  Jean Charlot LITERATURE •  1970 •  PAPER  • 120 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) In this novel for pre-teens, a native boy in Peru goes on a magical discovery of his roots, learning much about Inca tradition. A Newbery Award-winning book first published in 1952. (AND19, $5.99)
The Shaman's Apprentice  •  Lynne Cherry  •  Mark Plotkin LITERATURE •  1998 •  HARD COVER  • 40 PAGES • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) A tale of the Amazon rain forest for young readers, this book by the outstanding team of illustrator Cherry and ethnobotanist Plotkin tells of a young boy's fascination with the magical world of the shaman and the foreign scientist who helps him find a cure for a mysterious illness that besets the tribe. With lush full-page watercolor paintings by Cherry and well meaning text. (AMZ24, $16.00)