Product Description

Today is doomsday for a young Venezuelan Indian boy's beloved rain forest and its animal life—unless he and a visiting naturalist can save it. "George makes drama large and small out of the minute-by-minute events in an ecosystem . . . gripping ecological theater." —C. "An example of nonfiction writing at its best." —SLJ.

Notable 1990 Children's Trade Books in Social Studies (NCSS/CBC)
Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children 1990 (NSTA/CBC)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #205582 in Books
• Published on: 1995-09-30
• Released on: 1995-09-29
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 80 pages

From Publishers Weekly
It takes a few pages to catch the rhythm of naturalist George's new book, but once readers do, they'll find themselves drawn in. Set on the banks of the Orinoco River, the fictionalized tale chronicles the efforts of Tepui, an Indian boy, to help a group of scientists find a new species of butterfly, thereby saving the Venezuelan rain forest from being bulldozed into oblivion. The tension created by this literary device--which in the hands of a less skillful writer could have appeared contrived--adds considerable impact to this timely, well-wrought work. George imparts an amazing amount of information about these fast-disappearing tracts of land as she carefully describes the delicate ecological balance of exotic flora and fauna--from flesh-eating army ants to the vast colonies of butterflies that flutter high above the canopy of trees. Children will come away from this book not only with a satisfying story, but more importantly, with a clear understanding of why these areas are worth preserving. Ages 9 - 12.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
George has again taken a microscope to a typical day in a natural region. An Indian boy leads a scientist who is trying to locate a previously unknown butterfly that the scientist hopes will halt the destruction of this particular rain forest. At the same time, a horde of army ants moves across the forest floor; a sloth comes down from a tree for its weekly visit; and other animals go about their daily business. Such ordinary happenings make an exciting sequence of events that holds readers' attention as they also learn facts about the flora and fauna of the rain forest. There may not be enough material here for a report, but the book is an example of nonfiction writing at its best, for readers learn facts and get a sense of the rain forest in diary form rather than straight factual writing. The description of the relationship between the destruction of the rain forest and the greenhouse effect is easy to understand, and the index helps readers wanting specific facts. The drawings are clear, but do not expand the textual information. --Margaret C. Howell, West Springfield Elem . School, VA
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Jean Craighead George is the author of over eighty books for children and young adults. Her novel Julie of the Wolves won the Newbery Medal in 1973, and her novel My Side of the Mountain was a Newbery Honor Book in 1960. She has continued to write acclaimed picture books and novels that celebrate the natural world. She lives in Chappaqua, New York, and has had over 173 pets in the time she has lived there, among them geese and ducks.

Customer Reviews

Tepui's Challenge
ONE DAY IN THE TROPICAL RAINFOREST
AUTHOR-JEAN CRAIGHEAD GEORGE
GENRE-ADVENTURE/REALISTIC FICTION
PAGES-66

SETTING-TROPICAL RAINFOREST OF THE MACAW
CHARACTERS-TEPUI, DR.RIVERO , A ORNITHOLOGIST, HERPETOLOGIST, MAMMALOLOGIST , AND A BOTONIST.

THIS IS A MUST READ BOOK IF YOU LIKE ADVENTURE OR THE RAINFOREST! IT'S ABOUT A BOY NAMED TEPUI AND A SCIENTIST NAMED DR. RIVERO. THEY HAVE AN URGENT PROBLEM, THERE ARE 11 BULLDOSERS AND FOUR TRUCKS CARRYING 20 CHAINSAWERS THAT WANT TO CUT DOWN THE RAINFOREST FOR FARMLAND. TEPUI AND DR. RIVERO MUST FIND A NEW BUTTERFLY TO SAVE THE RAINFOREST, BUT THEY ONLY HAVE LESS THAN A DAY BEFORE THE DESTRUCTION BEGINS. CAN THEY DO IT?

The author writes very suspenseful, and teaches us valuable lessons throughout the story. We are constantly learning more about the BALANCE of the Rain Forest and the miraculous events going on simultaneously around the main characters. I can't wait to read other books by this author. You can tell she does a great deal of research about her topics and enjoys the outdoors.

Great information Source
This book was a great information source. You can tell that the author did a lot of research for this book. It records a young boys journey through the rain forest in search of the butterfly that will save the rain forest from the bulldozers. During his journey he encounters many animals. The author gave very useful and vivid detail. However there were some points where the book was kinda hard to understand. I can also understand why some people might think this book was dull. It is just a nature book without much excitment. I recommend this book to anyone who loves nature or is doing research on the rain forest!

The gripping story of a remarkable environment
Here is another superb entry in beloved nature writer Jean Craighead George's informative and thrilling ONE DAY. . . series. The award-winning author of JULIE OF THE WOLVES, MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN, and more than eighty other wildlife books for young readers does a great job of bringing to life the magical setting of the tropical rain forest. Tepui, a young boy who lives in Venezuela's Tropical Rain Forest of the Macaw, befriends some biologists who are studying the rain forest. To his and the scientists' dismay, the rain forest is scheduled to be chopped down and destroyed one afternoon. The only way to save it is to find a special butterfly that has never before been identified and present it to a wealthy businessman who wants to name the butterfly after his daughter. So Tepui and his friend Dr. Rivero--a lepidoptorist--set out to find the elusive insect. But the human characters are only a small part of the story. The rain forest is alive with thousands of species of creatures--amusing ones like a leisurely sloth, and creepy ones like flesh-eating ants. There are birds of all the colors of the rainbow, mammals like jaguars and tapirs, magnificent tree giants, and, of course, millions of insects. This is a fascinating glimpse, written in a fast-paced minute-by-minute style, into an environment so complex and diverse that there are many creatures who don't even have names, and have never seen humans. It is also an important story that all young people should pay attention to to better understand their natural world and help to preserve its unique magnificent ecosystems. Other titles in the series are: ONE DAY IN THE. . .ALPINE TUNDRA, PRAIRIE, DESERT, and WOODS. Any ecologist will also want to check out Jean Craighead George's Eco-Mysteries series: WHO REALLY KILLED COCK ROBIN?, THE CASE OF THE MISSING CUTTHROATS, THE MISSING 'GATOR OF GUMBO LIMBO, and THE FIRE BUG CONNECTION. These include information on chemicals, the ozone layer, human development, and how these things threaten our wild places and creatures.