South America

Anthropologist

Imagine making your living by hunting, fishing, and collecting wild plants and insects. Imagine having to worry about being attacked by a jaguar or some other wild animal. This is how our ancestors lived for hundreds of thousands of years, but only a few peoples carry on this ancient lifestyle today. One of the few are the Ache, hunter-gatherers living in Paraguay, a country in South America. Magdalena Hurtado is an anthropologist who has been studying the Ache for fifteen years. She has spent years living with the Ache people: learning their language, observing their history. The photographs and text offer invaluable insight into the work of an anthropologist.

Zorro And Quwi

Chased night after night by Zorro the fox, Quwi the clever guinea pig retaliates by outwitting Zorro and making him look foolish, in a folktale collection based on Peruvian legends.

Grandmother’s Nursery Rhymes/Las nanas de abuelita: Lullabies, Tongue Twisters, and Riddles from South America/Canciones de cuna, trabalenguas y adivinanzas de Suramerica

“Always quiet,Always blinking,by day sleeping,at night winking.”What is it?Grandmothers and grandfathers, uncles and aunts, parents and friends–everyone can share these rhymes, riddles, and lullabies with little children.This bilingual collection introduces young children to the sounds of two languages. The verses work in both English and Spanish: read the poems in English to trip the tongue or tickle your fancy; read them in Spanish to practice rolling “r’s”–or just sound out the syllables for the fun of it.Nelly Jaramikllo’s spirited text is matched by Elivia’s warm, whimsical illustrations. Perfect for bedtime, learning time, or playtime, this collection will satisfy curious children every time.Answer: the stars

Exposure

Carnegie Medalist Mal Peet takes a searing look at the world of soccer and pop-celebrity culture — and the lives of three street kids caught in its glare. When a black South American soccer star signs on to a team in the country’s racist south, headlines blare. And when he falls for the sensual Desmerelda, a stunning white pop singer and daughter of a wealthy politician, their sudden and controversial marriage propels the pair to center stage, where they burn in the media spotlight. But celebrity attracts enemies; some very close to home. And its dazzle reaches into the city’s hidden corners, exposing a life of grit and desperation the glitterati could never imagine. When a girl is found murdered, reporter Paul Faustino is caught between worlds as he witnesses the power of the media in making — and breaking — lives. Inspired by Shakespeare’s OTHELLO, this modern tragedy of desire and betrayal, incisively and compassionately told, is a truly enthralling work of crossover fiction.

Children Save the Rain Forest

A profile of the International Children’s Rain Forest describes the lush beauty of the plants and animals that live there and considers the work and contributions by children all over the world to keep the area preserved.

The Tarantula Scientist (Scientists In The Field)

Yellow blood, silk of steel, skeletons on the outside! These amazing attributes don”t belong to comic book characters or alien life forms, but to Earth”s biggest and hairiest spiders: tarantulas. Here you are invited to follow Sam Marshall, spider scientist extraordinaire (he”s never been bitten), as he explores the dense rainforest of French Guiana, knocking on the doors of tarantula burrows, trying to get a closer look at these incredible creatures. You”ll also visit the largest comparative spider laboratory in America—where close to five hundred live tarantulas sit in towers of stacked shoeboxes and plastic containers, waiting for their turn to dazzle and astound the scientists who study them.

Pele, King of Soccer/Pele, El Rey Del Futbol

This book tells how a poor boy from Brazil who loved fútbol more than anything else became the biggest soccer star the world has ever known.

 

Go and Come Back

Two female American anthropologists come to stay in a jungle village near the Amazon. The villagers are initially skeptical, especially teenaged Alicia. But as the months go on, Alicia finds herself drawn in, even becoming friends with one of the women.