Deep into the Amazon Jungle

December 15, 2020
Two young explorers get an eyeful and an earful about the Amazon rainforest after joining an expedition searching for a rumored giant piranha. Like the rainforest itself, St. Pierre's sequential panels are bursting with bioforms. These range from the human cast--which includes reader stand-ins William, who presents White, and Jaclyn, who has brown skin and dark, curly hair; Indigenous Kukama villagers; and the racially diverse boatload of scientists led by Fabien Cousteau (a White man, grandson of Jacques-Yves)--to lush greenery, pink river dolphins, predatory caimans (six types), vampire bats, small but deadly frogs, really big leeches and snakes, and bevies of insects and other fauna. In keeping with the pedagogical drift of previous expeditions like Great White Shark Adventure (2019), Fraioli's panel-crowding dialogue consists largely of minilectures on the area's natural history as well as how cattle ranching and logging are threatening its distinctive ecosystems. Found at last in a hidden lagoon, the rare, thrillingly toothy fish are hooked and collected by the bucketload rather than just observed, which is a teeny bit at odds with the overall message. Still, the outing ends with expressions of fervent commitment to greener practices and getting the word out. The format and melodramatic touches add appeal; the climactic inconsistency doesn't. (Graphic informational fiction. 9-11)

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