Review by Booklist Review
This beautiful picture-book biography brings readers the story of Brazilian environmentalist Chico Mendes and his important work to preserve and protect the Amazon rain forest and represent rubber tappers working there. The book is organized chronologically and its short paragraphs of text relate the details of Mendes' life, from tapping rubber trees at a young age with his father to recognizing injustices suffered by the workers--as seen in the great wealth of estate owners and the poverty of the rubber tappers--to fighting to stop deforestation. These events come to life in Carpentier's eye-catching, full-page illustrations, which use vibrant shades of red, green, pink, and deep purple to bring out the beauty of the rain forest, its animals, and the people who live there. Much like the work of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, Mendes' fight for workers' rights included forming a Rural Workers' Union, leading protests, and successfully asking the Brazilian government to create protected areas of rain forest where rubber tappers could live and work. The book also covers Mendes' assassination and lasting legacy and concludes with rain forest facts.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Ganeri inspires with this empathic biography of activist Chico Mendes (1944--1988) and his fight to save the Amazon rainforest. Opening with a scene from a triumphant protest organized by Mendes, the book otherwise takes a chronological approach, tracing his earliest years in western Brazil, tapping rubber trees alongside family, and, eventually, his assassination after persuading the Brazilian government to create the nation's first extractive reserve. Seamlessly woven throughout is essential context about the challenges and exploitation experienced by rubber tappers, the economic and environmental pressures causing ranching-related deforestation, and the pivotal impact of Mendes's work. Ganeri's fact-filled narration is balanced by evocative details that paint Mendes as a "softly spoken" leader and "a good listener," while Carpentier's tropical-hued digital illustrations incorporate chalk textures, helping readers to visualize the Amazon's destruction and the activist community Mendes created. Back matter includes rainforest facts, a glossary, and an index. Ages 7--12. (Mar.)
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Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2--6--In this gorgeous summary of the activist's life, readers learn in short chapters that Chico Mendes was born in 1944, deep in the Amazon rainforest. As a child he witnessed how his family and others were being exploited by the landowners who ran the rubber plantations. After he learned to read and write, Chico began to use his skills to help fight for worker rights. He became a spokesperson for the rubber tappers trade union and eventually gained international attention for his activism and leadership. Chico worked tirelessly to protect the rainforest and safeguard the livelihoods of rubber tappers and other forest people until he was assassinated at the age of 44. The illustrations are mural-like and deceptively simple, with beautiful images of rainforest creatures spread throughout. The interplay of textures and shapes fill the pages with life and vibrancy, and text blocks are placed in open areas for easy readability. The powerful narrative focuses on the direct impact of deforestation on Chico's community as well as his revolutionary work to enact change through unionization and protest. The text contains a wealth of information on the Amazon rainforest and the environmental impacts of deforestation, including back matter with Amazon facts, a glossary, and index, but no bibliography. VERDICT This stellar biography of a not-often featured environmental activist is a necessary addition to all biography shelves. A first purchase.--Laken Hottle
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
The book opens with a stirring scene of nonviolent protest. The year is 1988, and a group of forest peoples, led by Mendes, are singing the Brazilian national anthem as they peacefully confront ranchers attempting to raze the Amazon forest. The story then flashes back to Mendes' formative years, describing how he grew up in the forest working alongside his father as a rubber tapper. Readers learn about the semifeudal system under which rubber tapper communities toiled, exploited by rich landowners who deliberately sought to keep workers and their families illiterate and thus disempowered. However, young Mendes received private tutoring and, as an adult, used his education to fight for tappers' rights. When the Brazilian government opened up the Amazon to cattle ranching in an effort to stimulate the failing economy, acres of forest were destroyed. Mendes organized the tappers into a national union, which staged protests, and called for the creation of "extractive reserves" to give local communities control over the harvesting of forest products. As his name and work became known, Mendes won international acclaim. The book's closing pages sensitively recount his untimely death by murder and summarize his lasting legacy. Ganeri's biographical account uses a narrative nonfiction style and is interspersed with factual information about the Amazon forest. The text can be dry at times but is tempered by Carpentier's vibrant and colorful folk art--style illustrations. A welcome and timely introduction to a pioneering Brazilian conservationist. (facts, glossary, index) (Picture-book biography. 7-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
