Take the trip of a lifetime along the world’s largest river – the Amazon – and find out all about the countries and rainforest that dot along this truly amazing and fascinating geographical landmark.
I’m liking
‘Amazon Adventure’ is part of Lonely Planet Kids ‘Unfolding Journeys’ series, and the book folds out into a 16-panel concertina wall frieze. I can’t think of a better way for an 8-12 year old to fall asleep in these lighter evenings that to dream of themselves travelling down the Amazon, passing by rubber trees, meeting the Matses people and catching an Arapaima Fish. It’s the perfect thing to hang by your bed, being both educational and inspirational. On the reverse side of the frieze, you can read more about numbered landmarks from the unfolding journey.
The diversity represented by this region of the world is truly astounding when you start to study it. There are tidbits to be read about explorers such as Martin Strel, who swam the length of the river over 66 days in 2007. I’m quite sure I’m not that brave, when you start to read about some of the creatures he would have come across en route! You can also find out about some of the tourist activity in the region, which I had never really thought about before and found quite interesting.
Anything to improve?
Though pushed for room in this layout, I’d love to see some photographs that show some of the flora and fauna, cultures and icons represented. Still, the frieze is excellent fodder for further exploration – I can imagine many Google searches being fueled by this unfolding journey.
The conclusion
At $24.99, a trip down the Amazon might be just the sort of Christmas present that would delight an 8-12 year old that you know. It’s a super creative and unique way of looking through a lens at one part of the world, and will be beneficial especially to those who struggle with absorbing information through reading large amounts of text, but really like facts and discovering something new in bite-size chunks.
