This bilingual colection includes twenty-six poems about the animals of the Iguazu National Park in Argentina. The precise language and deep-hued illustrations create a sense of wonder about the jungle's "untamed living spirit." The pieces may also inspire young people to think about endangered species.

<p>This eye-catching combination of brilliant illustrations and eloquently crafted bilingual poems celebrates the animal life and natural beauty of the rainforest. AlarcA34n reflects his love for the biological diversity of Argentina's IguazAo Waterfalls National Park in graceful free-verse poems expressed in the voices of birds, lizards, jaguar, monkeys, river turtles, giant ants and even the "pesty mosquitos." The simple wordsa"often playfully integrated into the illustrations as shaped poemsa"stress the natural balance of the IguazAo and remind readers that "for all of us / wild animals and / plants of the rainforest / there are no limits / only one Earth / without borders." The multimedia illustrations feature lush, glowing paints that depict the animals (including humans) set against a backdrop of cut-paper strips that comprise the rainforest's verdant growth. A concluding verse, "Same Green Fate," explicitly states the overall theme: "protect all of us / for the Earth's fate / for your own sake / let's make the world / a true YbirA RetAa" / a Land of the Trees." Stunning. (Picture book/poetry. 9-12)</p>

Two West Coast Chicano artists (<EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">From the Bellybutton of the Moon and Other Summer Poems) celebrate Iguazú Falls, the immense rain forest waterfalls that lie between Argentina and Brazil. “These waterfalls/ are the big blue/ and green laughter/ of Mother Earth/ cascading down/ in loud peals,” declares Alarcón; Gonzalez assembles big, cheerful blocks of tropical color, invoking the falls with Matisse-like fronds of white and light blue. Short poems, often just 10 or 20 words long, adopt the voices of the animals that fill the rain forest around the falls: “From our perch/ we ants can spot/ many people... holding digital cameras/ taking lots of photos... ignoring the great/ and tiny wonders/ all around them.” Alarcón writes with a kind of bubbly reverence, avoiding the sententiousness that characterizes much save–the–rain forest literature. Each of the 26 poems appears in both English and Spanish, with many explanatory footnotes; together with the dense illustrations, the effect of the pages duplicates that of the rain forest, jam-packed with things to look at. Ages 6–up. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(Aug.)