School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-- A boy and his father journey down the Amazon by steamboat to visit the city of Belem, a first visit for the boy. Lewin's impressionistic watercolors convey the lush river banks and surrounding foliage, and the crowded excitement of the city's harbor. The light-filled pictures, dense with detail, reinforce the theme that the riches of the rain forest must be protected. Unfortunately, the message is delivered in a didactic manner that verges on the sentimental, with a tear-filled lecture by the father and a remarkable sacrifice by the son. Yet the text gives little information about how to save the Amazon region from farming and mining. Readers are told that killing the largest fish is a terrible mistake, without learning why. They are shown folk medicines made from animals that need protecting, without a word about the conflict that surrounds this issue. Since children will respond to the pictures and the timely message, it is disappointing that the text is so thin and unsatisfying. --Kathleen Odean, Moses Brown School, Providence, RI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
A sumptuous travelogue transforms the story of a special childhood journey into an effective lesson on the perilous state of the Amazon River and the nearby forests. Arranged by Paulo's father as a birthday gift, a steamer to the port city of Belém is a visual feast, as the two pass through rain-forest country into the bustling market life of the harbor. Lewin's paintings are spread across double pages in energetic scenes set against softly rendered, verdant backgrounds. An attractive and thought-provoking portrait of a way of life. From HORN BOOK 1993, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
The author of When the Rivers Go Home (1992) returns to Brazil for a look at the mouth of the Amazon, as seen by a boy whose father takes him from their jungle home to coastal Belém as a birthday excursion. Paulo and his father travel downriver on a small steamer, see fishermen selling their catch in the city's harbor, and admire a huge filhote, a species endangered by overfishing. After wandering the market, they set out for home, the father commenting sadly on the thoughtless depredation of forest and river. Lewin rounds out his simple story with Paulo catching a valuable filhote and letting it go; but the most persuasive part of his nicely understated message is his art. The lovely, fluid, double-spread watercolors draw the reader right into the shadowed jungle, the river's blue-green reflections, the market's bustle. A book whose plea is especially effective because it simply states the facts--and shows the river's beauty. (Picture book. 5-9)
Booklist Review
Ages 4-7. Young Paulo, who lives deep in the Amazon jungle, has never been to the faraway city to see the harbor and the market. His father promises to take him there for his birthday, and Paulo is not disappointed by what he finds--the busy docks, a marvelous array of colorful fish, and crowded market stalls with all manner of intriguing wares. But with the wonder comes an awareness that greed and disregard have compromised the bounty of the river and the ocean. Paulo takes the lesson to heart, and when he returns home he makes his own small but important contribution to preserving the environment. Written and illustrated by Lewin, this is a well-intentioned picture book that will fit snugly on the shelf alongside books such as Cherry's The Great Kapok Tree (1990). But it's the art, not the rather placid story, that gives the book its verve. Some of Lewin's most impressive watercolor paintings are of the great harbor, filled with bustling humanity and boats of many kinds. They capture the place and the people with care and loving regard. The book is dedicated to activist Chico Mendes. ~--Stephanie Zvirin
