BOOK REPORT - AFTERNOON IN THE AMAZON

THE AUTHOR: MARY POPE OSBORN

Prologue
One summer day in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, a mysterious tree house appeared in the woods. Annie climbed into the tree house. They found it filled with books. Jack and Annie soon discovered that the tree house was magic. It could take them to the places in the books. All they had to do was to point to a picture and wish to go there. Jack and Annie visited the times of dinosaurs, knights, pyramids, pirates and ninjas. Along the way, they discovered that the tree house belong to Morgan le Fay. Morgan is a magical librarian from the time of King Arthur.

Chapter 1: where Peanut?
Annie ran into the Frog Creek woods. Jack caught up with Annie. She stood beside tall oak tree. She grabbed the rope ladder and started too climbed up. Jack followed her. Then Jack took off his backpack. Sunlight slanted across a stack of books- books of ninjas, pirates, mummies, knight, and dinosaurs. A brown-and-white mouse peeked out of the socks. She looked from Annie to Jack with her big eyes. In old Japan, Peanut had helped them when they’d gotten lost. In the shadows was an open book.

Chapter 2: Big bugs
Jack closed the book and looked at the cover. It showed a picture of a green forest. The trees were very tall and closed together. On the cover were woods The Rain Forest. Jack wanted to take lots of notes in the rain forest. Maybe he could even name some unknown bugs. Annie took a deep breath and slowly nodded. Jack opened the book again. He pointed to a picture that showed blue sky, green leaves, and bright flowers. The wind started to blow. Annie put the mouse in her pocket. The wind picked up. The tree house started to spin. Jack squeezed his eyes shut. The win was whistling now. The tree house was spinning faster and faster. Then everything was still. Absolutely still. Wild sound broke the silence.

Chapter 3: Yikes!
Jack opened his eyes. The air was so hot and steamy. Annie was peeking out of the tree house window. Peanut was peeking out of Annie’s pocket. Jack peeked out of the tree house, too. They had landed in a sea of shiny green leaves. Outside there were flowers, bright butterflies, and birds. Just as in the book. Annie put peanut in his pocket. She stuck one leg out the window. Jack grabbed Annie’s other leg. He read:
The rain forests are in three layers. Thick treetops, often over 150 feet in the air, make up the top layer. This is called the forest canopy. Below the canopy is the understory, then the forest floor.
Annie slipped back into the tree house. “We have to use the ladder,” said Jack. He got on his hands and knees. He move leaves away from the hole in the floor. He looked down. The ladder seemed to fall between the branches of a giant tree. But Jack couldn’t see beyond that. Jack put the rain forest book in his backpack. Then he stepped onto the rope ladder. He started down. Annie followed with peanut in her pocket.

Chapter 4: Millions of Them!
Jack didn’t move. He kept staring down at the forest floor. We have to keep going, he thought. We have to find the special thing for Morgan. Jack and Annie climbed down through the understory. Finally they stepped onto the forest floor. Only a few rays of light slanted through the gloom. The trees were very, very tall and very wide. Vines and moss were hanging every- where. The ground was covered with dead leaves. Jack pulled out the rain forest book. He found a picture of the dark world under the treetops. He read:
In the rain forest, many living creatures blend in with their surroundings. This is called camouflage.
Jack closed the book and looked around. Annie and Jack peered around at the quiet forest. Jack felt unseen eyes watching them. Annie headed off through the gloom. Jack followed. They crept between the huge trees and past hanging vines. Jack listened. He heard a crackling sound. It sound like a person walking over leaves. Jack looked around. He didn’t see anyone. But the sound got louder. Just then the silent forest came alive. Birds took off into the air. Frogs hopped over the leaves. Lizards ran up the tree trunks. The weird noise grew louder and louder. Jack opens the book. He found a picture of different animals running together. He read:
When animal hear a crackling sound, they flee in panic. The sound means that 30 million flesh-eating army ants are marching through the dead leaves.
Army ants-millions and millions of them-were marching over the leaves! Jack and Annie took off. They ran over the dead leaves. They ran between wide tree trunks. They ran past the hanging vines and mosses. They climbed over thick roots. Jack saw a clearing ahead. It was filled with sunlight. They burst onto the bank of a river. They stared at the slow-moving brown water. She pointed to a big log rocking at the edge of the river. The inside of the log was dug out. Jack and Annie carefully climbed into the dug-out log. Annie leaned out of it. She pushed away from the bank with her hands. The canoe started moving slowly down the muddy river.

Chapter 5: Pretty fish
Annie patted the little mouse in her pocket. Jack and Annie stared at the river. Branches spread over the water. Vines and mosses hung down from them. Jack pulled the rain forest book out of his backpack and flipped through it. Soon he found pictures of a river. He read:
The Amazon River stretches over 4,000 miles from the mountains of Peru, across Brazil, to the Atlantic Ocean. The river basin contains over half of the rain forests in the world.
Jack looked at Annie. “We’re on the Amazon River,” he said. “It’s more than four thousand miles long!” Annie looks at the river. Jack pulled his notebook out of his pack. He wrote: The Amazon rain forest is
“Jack, look at those pretty fish with the teeth,” said Annie. Annie was pointing at some blue fish swimming near the boat. The fish had red bellies and razor-sharp teeth. “Watch it!” cried Jack. “Those aren’t pretty fish. They’re piranhas! They’ll eat anything! Even people!” They don’t have any paddles. Jack tried to stay calm. Jack stared at the river. The canoe would soon float under some vines. As they glided under the branches, Jack stood up. The canoe rocked. He nearly fell out. Annie leaned to one side. The canoe floated under more branches. Jack reached for another thick vine. He grabbed it! It was cold and scaly. It wiggled and jerked! Jack screamed and fell back into the canoe. The vine was alive! It was a long green snake! The snake fell from the tree. It splashed into the water and swam away. Jack and Annie stared in horror at each other. The canoe floated closer to the branch. Annie reached for it. Suddenly the branch rose into the air! It was a crocodile! The crocodile opened and closed its huge, long jaws. Then it moved past the canoe and swam up the river. A screeching sound split the air. Jack expected to see another terrible creature. But all he saw was a small brown monkey, hanging by its tail from a tree.

Chapter 6: Monkey Trouble
Peanut poked her head out from Annie’s pocket. She seemed to be yelling at the monkey. But suddenly the monkey grabbed a big red fruit hanging from the tree. He hurled it at the canoe. The fruit fell into the water with a splash. The monkey screeched even louder. He grabbed another fruit. The monkey hurled the red fruit right at the them. The fruit splashed into the water. The monkey grabbed a third fruit and hurled it at Jack and Annie. It landed inside the canoe with a thump. Annie grabbed the fruit. She stood up and threw it back at the monkey. The monkey screeched even louder. The monkey stopped screeching He looked at Annie. Then he swung away. Into the forest. A gust of wind blew the canoe. Thunder rolled in the sky. Screeching split the air again. The bratty monkey was back. This time, the monkey was pointing a long stick at the canoe. Jack crouched down. Annie jumped up and faced the monkey. The monkey just stared at Annie. And Annie just stared back at him. After a long moment, the monkey seemed to smile. Annie smiled back. The monkey held out the long stick. Annie grabbed the other end.The monkey pulled on the stick. The canoe started floating toward him. The monkey pulled the canoe all the way to the bank of the river.

Chapter 7: Freeze!
Jack and Annie jumped out of the canoe. The rain was starting to fall harder. The monkey took off. He swung from tree to tree, heading up the riverbank. He screeched and beckoned to Jack and Annie. Annie took off after the monkey. The two of them vanished into the rain forest. Thunder shook the sky. Jack dashed after Annie and the monkey. Into the dark forest. The forest seemed surprisingly dry. Jack hurried in the direction of Annie’s voice. Soon he found the monkey. He was screeching and swinging from a tree. Annie was kneeling on the forest floor. She was playing with animal that looked like a giant kitten. Annie batted the animal’s paws. It had gold fur and black spots. Jack pulled out the rain forest book and flipped through it. Jack found a picture of an animal with gold fur and black spots. He read:
The jaguar is the biggest predator in the western hemisphere.
GRRR! There was a terrible growl. Jack whirled around. The mother jaguar was coming out from behind a tree. She was creeping over the dead leaves-right toward Annie. “Freeze!” whispered Jack. Annie froze. But the jaguar kept moving slowly toward her. Suddenly the monkey swooped down from his tree. He grabbed the jaguar’s tail! Jack and Annie took off through the rain forest. They ran for their lives!

Chapter 8: Vampire Bats?
Jack and Annie stopped running and caught their breath. Annie looking back at the forest. Peanut peeked out of Annie’s pocket. The mouse stared at Annie with her big eyes. Jack pulled out the book. He turned the pages, searching for help. He stopped at a picture of a scary creature. Jack read the writing below the picture. It said:
Vampire bats live in the Amazon rain forest. At night, they quietly bite their victims and suck their blood.
Annie and Jack looked around. The rain forest seemed to be getting even darker. Annie locked at Jack. ”Maybe we should go home.” Jack nodded. For once he agreed with her. They looked at each other. Annie placed the mouse on the leafy forest floor. Jack and Annie followed the moving leaves. The steak of white appeared. And disappeared. Suddenly Jack stopped. There was no sign of Peanut. He kept staring at the ground. Annie was standing on the other side of a nearby tree. Annie pointed at the rope ladder. Peanut was climbing up one of the ropes. Annie started up the ladder. Then Jack. They followed Peanut all the way up to the canopy of the rain forest.

Chapter 9: The Thing
Jack and Annie climbed into the tree house. Peanut was sitting on a stack of books. Annie began searching for the Pennsylvania book-then book that always took them home. Jack pulled out his notebook. He had wanted to take lots of notes here. But all he’d written so far was: The Amazone Rain Forest
The Pennsylvania book was nowhere in sight. Something came flying through the tree house window. Something hit the floor. A red fruit. Jack looked up. The monkey was sitting in the window. His head was cocked to one side. He seemed to be grinning at the. The monkey just grinned. The monkey grabbed the fruit. But the monkey didn’t row the fruit. He held it out to Annie. He moved his lips as if he were trying to say something. Annie stared into the monkey’s eyes. Annie took the fruit from the monkey.”This is it,” she said. “The thing we need.” “One of the special things we’re supposed to find for Morgan,” Annie said. Jack saw the Pennsylvania book. “We found the thing. And now we can see the book,” said Annie. Jack nodded. The monkey screeched with laughter. He was clapping his hands together. The monkey just waved at Jack and Annie. Then he turns and swung away out of the tree house. The monkey was gone. He had vanished below the treetops. Jack picked up his notebook again. He looked at his writing: The Amazon rain forest is. He had to write something before they left. He quickly added: amazing. Jack put away his notebook. Annie picked up the Pennsylvania book. The wind started to blow. The leaves began to tremble. The tree house began to spin. It spun faster and faster. Then everything was still. Absolutely still.

Chapter 10: Halfway There
Jack opened his eyes. Peanut was on the tree house windowsill. Jack breathed a sigh of relief. Annie held the fruit up to the afternoon light. Jack pulled out the rain forest book. He flipped through the pages. He came to a picture of the red fruit. He read out loud:
“The mango has sweet taste like that of a peach.”
Jack placed the mango on the M carved into the floor. Next to the clear moonstone. Peanut was looking at Jack and Annie. Annie patted Peanut’s head. Jack patted the mouse, too. Jack put the rain forest book on top of the book about Ninjas. Then he pulled on his backpack. And he and Annie left the tree house. They climbed down the rope ladder. They stepped onto the ground. These woods are very different from the rain forest, Jack thought. In fact, that’s true about the whole rain forest, Jack thought. Everyone should just leave it all alone. They ran across their yard.


The end

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