Text and photographs portray Brazil’s geography and climate, city and rural life, industry, and transportation, focusing especially on the Amazon and the people and animals that live on the river.
Brazil the Land
Latin America
Materials from South America
The End of the World Club
With the end of the Mayan calendar fast approaching, fourteen-year-old Max Murphy and his friend Lola, the Maya girl who saved his life in the perilous jungle, race against time to outwit the twelve villainous Lords of Death, following the trail of the conquistadors into a forgotten land steeped in legend and superstition.
La Sirena Y El Pescador
La sirena y el pescador is a traditional folktale of the Rio Balsas region of Mexico, written in the Nahuatl language of San Agustín Oapan, Guerrero and accompanied by a Spanish translation. It tells the story of a young boy who must escape from his family after “Aalamatsin”, the mermaid and mother of all fish, wants the boy as a sacrifice in exchange for the release and pardon of his father, who betrayed his own wife and exploited the inhabitants of the river by overfishing it.
Sacred Leaf: The Cocalero Novels
The people of Bolivia have grown coca for legitimate purposes for hundreds of years, but the demands of America’s War on Drugs now threaten this way of life. Deborah Ellis’s searing follow-up to the highly praised “I Am a Taxi” deals with this frank reality. After he manages to escape from virtual enslavement in an illegal cocaine operation, Diego is taken in by the Ricardo family. These poor coca farmers give Diego a safe haven where he recovers from his ordeal in the jungle. But the army soon moves in and destroys the family’s coca crop — their livelihood. So Diego joins their protest of the destruction of their crops and confront the army head-on by barricading the roads. While tension between the cocaleros and the army builds to a dramatic climax, Diego wonders whether he will ever find a way to return to his family. This compelling novel defies conventional wisdom on an important issue, and shows how people in one part of the world unknowingly create hardship for people in another.
Pedrito’s Day
When Pedrito replaces, from his own earnings, money he has lost, his mother decides that he is finally big enough for some of his father’s earnings to be used towards buying him a bicycle.
Diez Deditos = 10 Little Fingers & Other Play Rhymes and Action Songs From Latin America
A bilingual anthology of more than thirty finger rhymes, play rhymes, and action songs and games for children of various ages and cultures–including Pimpo+a7n Pimpo+a7n and Que Llueva–highlights a rich collection of musical material from Spanish-speaking countries.”
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.
Fiestas
Carefully crafted for both Spanish and English audiences, this radiant bilingual collection (a follow-up to the highly successful De Colores and Diez Deditos) includes over twenty holiday songs and rhymes gathered from Spanish-speaking countries. The songs focus on holidays that specifically honor Latin American culture-Cinco de Mayo, Carnival, César Chávez Day-as well as on familiar fiestas celebrated around the world-New Year’s, Christmas, Halloween, Mother’s Day, and more. With simple music for piano, voice, and guitar; informative background notes placing each song in context; Spanish and English lyrics presented side by side; and colorful collage illustrations, children of all ages will delight in this joyous new collection by the award-winning team of José-Luis Orozco and Elisa Kleven.
How Iwariwa the Cayman Learned to Share: A Yanomami Myth
Iwariwa the cayman refuses to share the fire that he uses to cook his food, until the animals of the Venezuelan rain forest come up with an ingenious scheme to trick him, in a traditional myth from the Yanomami people of South America.
De Colores and Other Latin American Folksongs for Children
Bursting with color and spirit, this collection of Latin-American songs is a tribute to Latino culture. From traditional tunes to rhymes and hand games, De Colores has songs for all occasions and moods. Each song is accompanied by simple musical arrangements, with lyrics in both English and Spanish. Slightly abridged from the original edition, this is ideal for classroom use, multicultural studies, or just plain fun.”Rich and resonant.” –Booklist