amazon river region

An account of the life of the Brazilian rubber tapper and grass-roots environmentalist, and a celebration of the beauty of the Amazon basin.

Intertwines the stories of scientific explorer Richard Evans Schultes and his student Tim Plowman, both of whom went on scientific expeditions to South America, Schultes spending twelve years, beginning in the 1940s, mapping uncharted rivers and collecting botanical specimens; and Plowman, who along with the author, duplicated Schultes's journey thirty years later.

Describes the conditions in the Amazon rain forest, the animals, plants, and people that live there, the exploitation of this ecosystem, and the importance of preserving it.

Challenges the claims of anthropologists Napoleon Chagnon and Jacques Lizot that the lives of the Yanomami Indians of Venezuela and Brazil are characterized by violence and sexual depravity, and examines the roles these anthropologists and others may have played in corrupting these people.

Describes the geology, topography, and fishes of the Amazon River Region.

All the birds enjoy the song-like flute music of Jabuti, the tortoise, except Vulture who, jealous because he cannot sing, tricks Jabuti into riding his back toward a festival planned by the King of Heaven.

All the birds enjoy the song-like flute music of Jabut?, the tortoise, except Vulture, who, jealous because he cannot sing, tricks Jabut? into riding his back toward a festival planned by the King of Heaven.

Documents the experiences of a group of seventh and eighth graders from Michigan who traveled to the Amazon to learn first-hand about biological diversity and what it is like to survive in the rain forest.

Describes the numerous plants and animals that live in the Brazilian rain forest and their ecological and economic importance.