{"id":39485,"date":"2021-05-18T22:24:09","date_gmt":"2021-05-19T02:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=39485"},"modified":"2021-05-18T22:24:09","modified_gmt":"2021-05-19T02:24:09","slug":"review-of-zonias-rain-forest-by-juana-martinez-neal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=39485","title":{"rendered":"Review of Zonia’s Rain Forest, by Juana Martinez-Neal"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Zonia\u2019s Rain Forest<\/em><\/p>\n

by Juana Martinez-Neal<\/p>\n

Candlewick Press, 2021. 40 pages.
\nReview written May 18, 2021, from a library book
\nStarred Review<\/p>\n

Zonia\u2019s Rain Forest<\/em> tells about a young Ash\u00e1ninka girl who lives in the rain forest with those she loves. (Her mother and infant brother are pictured.) It\u2019s a simple story. Every day, Zonia likes to go greet her friends, and we see beautiful active paintings of Zonia with various creatures found in the rain forest (with a guide in the back as to what they are), with a blue morpho butterfly accompanying her on every page. <\/p>\n

Some of the animals, such as the jaguar and the spectacled caiman look dangerous to this mom for a little girl to be cavorting with them, but it\u2019s a child\u2019s fantasy adventure, and Zonia is friends with the rain forest and with its inhabitants. I love the way Zonia is pictured always happily in motion.<\/p>\n

The book ends with a frightening bare patch in the forest. Encouraged by her mother, Zonia purposes to answer the forest\u2019s call to help. The final words of the book are, \u201cWe all must answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

In this beautiful and inviting book, every reader will feel Zonia\u2019s kinship with the rain forest.<\/p>\n

The five pages of back matter include, besides an identification of the animals pictured, a translation of the text into Ash\u00e1ninka, some facts about the Amazon, and a list of threats to the Amazon. It’s a call to protect the world given in a way that children can understand.<\/p>\n

juanamartinezneal.com\/zonia<\/a>
\ncandlewick.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Picture_Books\/zonias_rain_forest.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but the views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

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