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Visit one of the most incredible natural environments in this picture-packed guide, to discover the Amazon's plants and wildlife, and its people.

Become an eyewitness to the fascinating species that live in the depths of the Amazon rainforest, in this picture-led reference guide that will take you on a visual tour of the nine South American countries it extends across.

Children can journey down the River Amazon and explore the world's largest rainforest in this unique, beautifully illustrated guide to the beauty and diversity of the rainforest and the river, its flora and fauna, and the people who live in the region. Using striking full-colour photographs and illustrations, kids can discover why this ecosystem is so important to the whole world along with amazing facts, diagrams, and statistics to see the Amazon as never before.

Throughout the pages of this newly- revised book on the Amazon, you can expect to find:

- A fresh new look, new photographs, updated information,
and a new "eyewitness" feature
- Amazing facts, diagrams, statistics, and timelines
- Brand new eyewitness accounts from experts in the field

Eyewitness Amazon introduces the most biodiverse tropical rainforest in the world and the vast river that winds its way through it. Children can discover the rainforest's fascinating birds, animals, insects and much more, through amazing facts, diagrams, and statistics to see the Amazon as never before. This all-emcompassing rainforest guide is a must-have for curious children aged 9+ with a thirst for learning, as well as teachers, parents and librarians.

So, what's new?

Part of DK's best-selling Eyewitness series, this popular title has been reinvigorated for the next generation of information-seekers and stay-at-home explorers, with a fresh new look, up to 20 percent new images, including photography and updated diagrams, updated information, and a new "eyewitness" feature with fascinating first-hand accounts from experts in the field.

Explore the series!

Globally, the Eyewitness series has sold more than 50 million copies over 30 years. Join the journey to combat climate change with Eyewitness Climate Change or take a trip aboard the most famous ship in history with Eyewitness Titanic.

72 pages, Hardcover

First published June 2, 2015

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About the author

D.K. Publishing

10.1k books2,193 followers
Dorling Kindersley (DK) is a British multinational publishing company specializing in illustrated reference books for adults and children in 62 languages. It is part of Penguin Random House, a consumer publishing company jointly owned by Bertelsmann SE & Co. KGaA and Pearson PLC. Bertelsmann owns 53% of the company and Pearson owns 47%.

Established in 1974, DK publishes a range of titles in genres including travel (including Eyewitness Travel Guides), arts and crafts, business, history, cooking, gaming, gardening, health and fitness, natural history, parenting, science and reference. They also publish books for children, toddlers and babies, covering such topics as history, the human body, animals and activities, as well as licensed properties such as LEGO, Disney and DeLiSo, licensor of the toy Sophie la Girafe. DK has offices in New York, London, Munich, New Delhi, Toronto and Melbourne.

Source: Wikipedia.

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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Profile Image for Little Timmy.
7,898 reviews67 followers
March 29, 2024
Always a great informative read when you grab an Eyewitness book. Very recomemnded
Profile Image for Jessica Schultz.
30 reviews
March 1, 2020
Jessica Schultz’ book review of DK Eyewitness by Tom Jackson:

In this DK book, we learn about The Amazon! The Amazon river runs through 9 countries and is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth. I have always loved to learn about Amazon, so I was excited to read this book!

In this book, we can read about The Amazon River and the Amazon Rainforest, along with its forest-dwelling creatures, wetlands, plants and fungi, birds, monkeys, insects, aquatic animals, predators, amphibians, reptiles, and fish. It also teaches us about the ancient civilizations that lived in the regions, such as the Inca in Peru, Peru being the country that the Amazon river starts in. The amount of animals in the Amazon Rainforest and river is nothing short of awe-inspiring and fascinating to me as an animal enthusiast. This book shows us photos of so many of some of the most fascinating features in the Amazon! The biodiversity is so amazing here that it hosts between 10% and 30% of the flora and fauna species on Earth! There is even a mushroom species found in the Amazon rainforest called Pestalotiopsis microspora that can survive on plastic alone! It consumes polyurethane (the main ingredient in plastic products) and might be an incredible source of help to the world to reduce pollution.

Through this book, we can read about fascinating landmarks along the Amazon river and the countries that it goes through, such as the giant Carajás Mine in Brazil, the world’s largest iron ore mine. We also learn about some of the regions of the Amazon, such as the vast Cerrado; a vast tropical savanna region of Brazil, the giant Pantanal; the world's largest tropical wetland area that is mostly within Brazil, The Tumucumaque Mountains National Park’ a national park of Brazil that is situated in the Amazon rainforest, Mount Roraima; a tripoint that lies between Venezuela, Brazil, and Guyana, and the Anavilhanas National Park; which encompasses a huge river archipelago in the Rio Negro.

The book also has a bit about the history of discovery and conquest of the regions, folklore, the traditional lives of citizens in the region, modern Amazonia, how people get around, and about some real threats of this beautiful region; such as deforestation, mining, and damming. It also teaches us about the modern industries here, conservation of biodiversity, and about the ecotourism and farming that the Amazon River regions offer.

In this book, we can also read about the Amazon river by its 9 countries, seeing how much of the different countries that the Amazon Rainforest covers. There is also an Amazon Facts page that shows some fascinating and quick info that shows us the scale of the Amazon Rainforest and river.


My favorite part about this book was the parts about the biodiversity, with all of the photos and names of these vast ecosystems. This is not at all an exhaustive list, but here are all the animals shown or mentioned in this book! I will likely study more about them on my own.

Birds: Anhingas, Blue and Yellow Macaws, Boat-billed herons, Cherry-throated tanagers, Glaucous macaws, Green-billed Toucans, Harpy eagles, Hoatzins, Hyacinth macaws, Laughing Falcons, Paradise Tanagers, Scarlet Macaws, Swallow-tailed Hummingbirds, Toco Toucans, White-bellied Woodstar hummingbirds, and Wood Storks

Mammals: Agoutis, Amazonian manatees, Amazon River Dolphins, Bush dogs, Capuchin monkeys, Capybaras, Giant anteaters, Giant Armadillos, Giant Otters, Golden Lion Tamarins, Howler Monkeys, Kinkajous, Llamas, Maned sloths, Night monkeys aka Owl Monkeys, Ocelots, Pacaranas, Pygmy Marmosets (the smallest monkey), South American tapirs, Spectacled bears, Three-toed Sloths, Uakari monkeys, Vampire bats, Water opossums, White-lipped peccaries, and Woolly Spider Monkeys (Muriquis)

Reptiles: Amazon Caimans, Arrau turtles, Common vine snakes, Coral Snakes, Cuvier's dwarf caimans, Emerald Tree Boas, Eyelash vipers, Golden Lancehead Snakes, Golden Tegu, Green anacondas (The largest snakes in the world!), Green Iguanas, Horned wood lizards, Mata mata turtles, South American rattlesnakes, and Black Caimans.

Amphibians: Amazon climbing salamanders, Blue poison dart frogs, Caecilians, Glass frogs, Golden poison frogs, Green and black poison dart frogs, Horned frogs, Mimic poison frogs, Mission golden-eyed tree frogs a.k.a. Amazon Milk Frogs, Rancho Grande harlequin frogs, Red-eyed tree frogs, Shrinking frogs a.k.a Paradox frogs (which are bigger as tadpoles than the adults!), Sira poison dart frogs, Strawberry poison-dart frogs, and Suriname Toads

Invertebrates (mostly insects mentioned here): Amazon giant centipedes, Blue Morpho Butterflies, Brazilian wandering spiders, bullet ants, cecropia ants, flatworms, Fungus beetles, Goliath bird eater tarantulas, Hercules beetles, Owl butterflies, Peacock katydids, Praying mantises, and Titan beetles

Fish: Arapaimas, Arowanas, Bull sharks, Neon tetras, Ocellate river stingrays, piranhas, and Xingu River rays


Of the plants, we have Açaí palm (often cultivated for its fruits, wood, and leaves), Babassu Palm Trees, Brazil nut trees, Bromeliad flowers, carnivorous Sundew plants, Guarana plants (seeds are often cultivated), Kapok Trees, Lianas, Lupuna trees, Pink Lapacho trees a.k.a. Pink trumpet trees, Rubber Plants, Strangler Figs, and Victoria Lilies (giant lily pads!)

Endangered animals:
Black caimans (Reptile), Giant anteaters (Mammal), Glaucous macaws (Bird), Hyacinth macaws (Bird), Maned sloths (Mammal), Pacarana (Mammal), Uakari monkeys (Mammal), Xingu River rays (Fish a.k.a. White-blotched rays)

Thanks to my local library for being able to enjoy this book! Please support your local libraries. They are such a blessing to have around and provide such a great cause. I have learned so much from books from libraries, and I am grateful to have had one in my life to help me learn so much. <3
Profile Image for Ash.
1,103 reviews133 followers
September 26, 2021
I got it for my son who loves Amazon rainforest and its animals and he loved it. I only wish they had more animals in this book. Nice book to have in your homeschool collection.
Profile Image for Nini.
285 reviews
June 17, 2024
Nothing was more suitable to my current position in life than a children's book about the animals I was trying to identify in the Amazon.
Profile Image for Becky.
1,650 reviews28 followers
May 31, 2018
I don't read and review picture books often, but here goes. This is a children's non-fiction book about the Amazon. it's full of bright, beautiful photos of the plants, people, and critters of the Amazon rain forest. It touches on a little of the history and myths of the indigenous people and also talks briefly about the Spanish and Portugese explorers. I liked that it had a fairly large section on the dangers faced by the rain forest today and talked about ways to preserve the forest while still allowing its residents to earn a living.

One quick fact that stood out to me was the following: "If crops are grown beneath the trees - a system called agroforestry - an area of the Amazon rain forest can make 42 times more profit than if it were cleared for pasture."

Since most people are motivated more by immediate needs and self-interest than they are by long-term preservation, this is the kind of information that might actually help save the rain forest from destruction.

I read this book to help research South America for a book I'm trying to write. It was a good overview of the area and helpful in getting a quick feel for the sights and life contained within. I'm not the target audience, but I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone interested in a quick peek at the Amazon - not just for children.

Five mossy green stars.
Profile Image for Kalilah.
342 reviews2 followers
November 1, 2023
Great introduction into the Amazon rainforest. It covers everything from how the rainforest was formed, to the various types of animals found in it, the indigenous people, etc, etc. Each category has a two-page spread, so the information is succinct.
I'm doing some mad research on rainforests in general, so I'm reading lots of different books that are more in-depth, but for anyone who struggles to retain information (like me) this is a good one for revision and quick references.
5 reviews
June 23, 2018
I really like this book! It has a lot of details.
Profile Image for Jessica.
2,326 reviews22 followers
June 6, 2023
A beauitful new addition - I use the eyewitness books as reference books for our units of study and this one will be loved for animals and rainforest. Recommended.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews