Vanishing Cultures: Amazon Basin

By Jan Reynolds

In this series of seven books, photojournalist Jan Reynolds documents the distinctive cultures and climates of indigenous peoples.

Description

Tuwenowa lives in the heart of the Amazon River Basin, home to the largest tropical rain forest in the world. For Yanomama people such as Tuwenowa and his family, the jungle provides everything they need — from thatching for their huts to the tropical fruits, animals, and fish they eat.

The rainforest is the birthplace of the centuries-old traditions of Yanomama culture. The people celebrate life with songs of thanks and mark death with special rituals. By learning these customs from his father, a tribal shaman, Tuwenowa hopes to uphold the Yanomama way of life as he grows up.

About the Creators

Jan Reynolds

Jan Reynolds is an award-winning author and photographer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including National Geographic, The New York Times, and Outside magazine. All seven books in her Vanishing Cultures series of photo-essays for children were recognized as Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People, and she is also the author of Celebrate! Connections Among Cultures; Only the Mountains Do Not Move, and The Lion Queens of India. Reynolds holds the world record for women's high altitude skiing, was part of the first expedition to circumnavigate Mount Everest, and performed a solo crossing of the Himalayas. She lives with her family in Stowe, Vermont. Please visit her on the web at janreynolds.com.

Awards

  • Notable Social Studies Trade Books for Young People

    National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS)

Reviews

  • "Sensitive photography captures the beauty of these harsh landscapes as well as the dignity and humanity of these people."

    - Publishers Weekly
  • "This photo essay offers a quick glimpse into a culture that readers are unlikely to meet elsewhere."

    - School Library Journal
  • "What is important about. . . the Vanishing Cultures series is Jan Reynold's sincere sense of the majesty of the [world's] peoples. By sharing an empathetic and unsentimental glimpse of them, she gives us all a great gift."

    - The New York Times

Paperback

  • ISBN 9781600601255
  • Publication Date Apr 01, 2007
  • Trim Size 8.5 × 11 in
  • Weight 0.375 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Hardcover

  • ISBN 9781600601408
  • Publication Date Apr 01, 2007
  • Trim Size 8.5 × 11 in
  • Weight 0.4375 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Interests

  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JNF / Travel
  • BISAC Category 2 JNF / People & Places / Caribbean & Latin America
  • BISAC Category 3 JNF / Photography
  • Themes Animal / Biodiversity / Plant Adaptations, Animals, Indigenous / First Nations / Native American, Informational / Expository Nonfiction, Latinx / Latino / Hispanic, Nonfiction
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 5 - 11
  • Grade Range Grades K - 6
  • Guided Reading V
  • DRA 50
  • Lexile Level 780
  • Reading Level Grades 2 - 3
  • SRC 5.4
  • Bebop Reading Fluent
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