A Tiny Brown Monkey on the Big Blue Earth

by Tory Christie, Luciana Navarro Powell (Illustrator)

In the middle of a South American jungle, a tiny brown monkey swings from a branch. Where is his place on the big, blue Earth?
 
Starting with a tiny monkey in the Amazon rainforest, this richly illustrated poem by scientist Tory Christie illuminates a unique geographical perspective, showcasing South America's environment. Luciana Navarro Powell's ever-widening views take readers from jungle to mountain to village and city, country, continent, ocean, and finally the planet in space. Endsheets include a map of South America labeling the places shown.
 
Perfect for inspiring young minds to think big, this picture book also supports C3 standards for geography related to maps, culture, and environment.
 
Don't miss A Little Round Panda on the Big Blue Earth !

Genres: Picture Books, Geography, Animals

32 pages, Hardcover

Published August 6, 2019

About the author

Tory Christie is a real scientist by day and secretly writes children’s books at night. When it is light outside, she studies rocks and water. After dark, she writes silly science stories that kids and grownups can laugh about. Check out her latest series, Curious McCarthy, and explore science with Curious and her zany family. Tory Christie grew up in a large family, but her family was nothing like the McCarthys ― honestly. The McCarthys are completely fiction ― really. Tory Christie lives in Fargo, North Dakota with her medium-sized family.

Reviews

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are too few picture books set in South America, at least among those published for the "American" market. That alone, the fact that most of us in the USA treat the word AMERICAN as if it applies only to our country.
Our culture offers very little space for real learning about our neighboring continent, and what most do "know" is stereotypical, or simplistic, or just plain wrong.
This book is a welcome ZOOM experience (and I don't mean video-conferencing). The little brown monkey provides a close-up view from multiple perspectives within the Serra dos Orgaos National Park in Brazil. from those pages, zooming out a bit at a time, readers follow a jungle trail into a smaller village (Twown of Guapimirim). There the reader boards a crowded bus to continue through increasingly populated areas until reaching the City of Rio de Janeiro.
Along the way the saturated and textured illustrations are a feast for the eyes and a challenge to curious readers to identify various animal and plant life. Once the perspective reaches the vibrant and bright city, perched on the brink of the Atlantic Ocean, readers are launched into a starry sky that reveals how vast and beautiful this planet is as it swirls through space.
it is more important than ever to expand our knowledge and appreciation for our engdangered planet, for our continental neighbors and their complex societies and resources, and the place within this world for ourselves and for little brown monkeys, and every form of animal, vegetable, and mineral on land and in the sea. That goal my be a stretch for adults who have already prioritized what "matters" or merits their attention, but this book is a delightful way to engage the youngest among us on a lifetime of curiosity, appreciation, and respect.
By the way, I was able to include those labels of the park and village and city because the Brazilian illustrator incorporated fantastic endpapers with labeled “map pins” marking the most important locations referenced in the story. The land mass incorporates some basic geologic markers, too, making this an appealing introduction to map reading and geography study.
Did I mention what a cutie the little brown monkey is?

[Jane Healy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book from the moment I first read it--a special, spatial book that telescopes from a tiny brown monkey in a South American jungle to a town to a city to a continent to an ocean to the planet and collapses back to the monkey. The lyrical prose is easy for young children to understand, and the illustrations by Luciana Navarro Powell delight with details of each step of the journey. As a former teacher, I could see so many ways to use this book--our own place in the universe, geography in general, and ecosystems to name a few.

The true test, though, came when my first grade and preschool granddaughters and I read the book together. Yes! Delight! We lingered over each spread, looking for "hidden" things--the monkey, a toucan, people, other wildlife--and wondering where the next page turn would take us. Recommended!

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an educator, I absolutely LOVE this book! Tory Christie seamlessly weaves essential science concepts throughout her stories, and this book is no exception. Young children will enjoy this playful story of a Tiny Brown Monkey as they learn about their own relationship with the Big Blue Earth. My review would not be complete without also mentioning the beautiful illustrations!

[Juliana Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Simple and lyrical text shows the place in the world taken by the tiny brown monkey. As the world expands from the branch to the jungle, the city, the continent, and the world itself and back to the monkey on the branch. One long sentence broken into phrases leads the reader to find their own place on the earth.

[Nichole · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was ok. I liked that it was set in South America. I have had a hard time finding many books set there. The illustrator is from Brazil, which is good.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the illustrations. Despite the sparse text, I think this book would be much more appealing to adults than children.