This book tells the story of the Tree of Life, a traditional Amazonian folk tale. In it, the people of an Amazonian village learn the importance of taking care of nature and the dangers of being too greedy.

Provides folktales from Amazonian fishermen, hunters, lodgers, small plot farm gardeners, and villagers in Venezuela, Guyana, Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Colombia and Ecuador. The kinds of tales are as follows: Tales of origin, Tales about anacondas and boas, Tales about dolphins and other Aquatic Seducers, Tales of beasts and Forest Defenders, Tales of dark and malevolent Shamans, Tales of Punishment for ill behavior, and Tales of special places, plants, and Birds.

A treasury of Brazilian folktales is presented in the authentic voice of an author who grew up in the rain forest and includes stories identified as most representative of Amazonian culture, in a volume complemented by descriptions of indigenous populations and a glossary of animal and plant profiles.

A rain forest fable from Caldecott medalist Gerald McDermott

Introduce preteens to faraway lands through enchanting, tragic, scary, and hilarious folktales. As they finish each book, readers are invited to use their imaginations to extend the stories with continuations and "what if" possibilities. Maps and facts set the scene before each riveting tale. For hundreds of years, the people of the Amazon have heard stories of the King of the Pink Dolphins, who tries to trick young girls into marriage, and the battle between the King of the Vultures and the Sun God. Now your readers can experience these stories, too.

At the beginning of the world it is daylight all the time, because the Great Snake keeps night a prisoner, until the curiosity of three men sets night free.

Retellings of traditional stories from the people of the Amazon rain forests, including The Legend of the Sun God, The Tree of Life, and The Sad Song of the Moon.