Zonia's Rainforest, Written and Illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal

 


Description from the publisher:
"Zonia’s home is the Amazon rain forest, where it is always green and full of life. Every morning, the rain forest calls to Zonia, and every morning, she answers. She visits the sloth family, greets the giant anteater, and runs with the speedy jaguar. But one morning, the rain forest calls to her in a troubled voice. How will Zonia answer?
Acclaimed author-illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal explores the wonders of the rain forest with Zonia, an Asháninka girl, in her joyful outdoor adventures. The engaging text emphasizes Zonia’s empowering bond with her home, while the illustrations—created on paper made from banana bark—burst with luxuriant greens and delicate details. Illuminating back matter includes a translation of the story in Asháninka, information on the Asháninka community, and resources on the Amazon rain forest and its wildlife."

Text Features: 

  • Fictional picture book–available in English and Spanish
  • Expository back matter to support further learning
  • Includes author's note for learning more about the inspiration and intended purpose for the book
Critical Literacy Suggestions:

Read & Discuss: 

  • How does Zonia feel about the rainforest and the living things she encounters throughout the story?
  • Would you like to live in the rainforest?
  • How is Zonia's life the same and different to yours?
  • Toward the end of the story, Zonia's mother says, "The rainforest is calling you."
    • Why does Zonia's mother say these words? 
    • Why does Zonia say "We all must answer"?
    • How can we answer the rainforest's call for help?
    • Juana Martinez-Neal gives some ideas for how we can help the rainforest in the book's back matter. Read and discuss.
Write & Act: 
  • Why is it important to protect the Amazon rainforest?
  • How might the Indigenous Ashaninka peoples' way of life change if the rainforest isn't protected?
  • Write some of your questions about what it would be like to live in a rainforest and how rainforests are harmed or helped by people. Share them with a friend. 
  • Make a plan to answer some of your questions–the resources below might help.
  • Commit to an action that you can do to help the rainforest. Remember Zonia's words: We all must answer.

Learn More:

Popular posts from this blog

The Welcome Chair, Written by Rosemary Wells and Illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

Image
Description from the publisher: "Based in part on a 100-year-old family journal, Rosemary Wells brings to life a story that the diary’s fragile pages tell. It’s the story of a wooden rocking chair handmade in about 1825 by her great-great-grandfather, an immigrant Jewish boy who made his way to America from Germany in the early 1800s. In 1807, Sam Siegbert is born in southern Germany. Sam’s favorite pastime is carpentry, much to his father’s displeasure. His mother says he has a gift from God in his hands. After moving to America, he builds a wooden chair with the word  WILLKOMMEN  on the back. The chair’s back panel was later marked with  welcome s by four generations of the family in four different languages. After the family lost track of the old chair, the author created a new life for it among new owners from other corners of the world. All the families who loved the chair came to America, escaping religious conformity, natural disasters, tyrannies, war, and supersti...
Read more

One Wish: Fatima al-Fihri and the World's Oldest University, written by M. O. Yuksel and illustrated by Mariam Quraishi

Image
  Description from the publisher: " One Wish is a picture book biography about Fatima al-Fihri, a 9th-century woman who pioneered the oldest university in the world in Fez, Morocco. Illustrated by Mariam Quraishi.  "Fatima al-Fihri loved to learn. She wanted to know everything, like how birds flew, why the sky was blue, and how flowers grew. But more than anything, she wanted a school for all, where anyone could study and become whatever they wanted, like teachers, scientists, and doctors. As she grew older, Fatima carried her one wish inside her, through good times and bad. Fueled by her faith and her determination, she worked hard to make her one wish come true. For over a thousand years, Fatima’s one wish—her school—served students and scholars from around the globe, and it continues to do so today! ​ With lyrical text by M. O. Yuksel and stunning illustrations by Mariam Quraishi, this life portrait of an extraordinary Muslim woman shows the importance of never gi...
Read more

Slow Down: 50 Mindful Moments In Nature, written by Rachel Williams and illustrated by Freya Hartas

Image
  Description from the publisher: " Bestselling author Rachel Williams and illustrator Freya Hartas invite children to  Slow Down  and watch 50 nature stories that command calm and foster mindfulness. All around us, nature is working wonders. Every day, hour by hour, magical transformations happen right in front of you. But it’s not always easy to see them . . . In this beautifully illustrated collection, 50 moments in nature are paused for you to watch them in detail. Then you should go outside and explore and see what you find when you take the time to slow down. Gorgeously illustrated, this charming collection celebrates the small wonders happening all around us every day." Text Features:  Informational picture book Select poems about nature Table of Contents Two-page spread for each mindful moment story Critical Literacy Suggestions: Read & Discuss:   BEFORE reading: Read the blurb. Ask children what they think a "mindful moment" is? What are some other ...
Read more