PPBF – Armando’s Island

I received a signed copy of today’s Perfect Picture Book from an online giveaway at Pragmatic Mom. Although there was no expectation nor requirement that I review it, after reading it, I just couldn’t resist!

Title: Armando’s Island

Written By: Marsha Diane Arnold

Illustrated By: Anne Yvonne Gilbert

Publisher/Date: Creative Editions/2023

Suitable for Ages: 8-11 (and younger)

Themes/Topics: Amazon rainforest, deforestation, conservation

Opening:

Beneath a canopy of trees, flowing like green ocean, in an ancient forest, lived Armando.

Each morning he awakened to the smell of the earth, the sounds and songs of treetops, the taste of just-picked berries.

Brief Synopsis: A young boy who loves his rainforest home grows into a man who protects his “island” of untouched forest, providing a refuge for displaced animals.

Links to Resources:

• Learn more about the rainforest and discover some rainforest-themed activities;
• Learn about habitat destruction and see 13 ways that you can help save the Earth from it;
• Meet the many animals that call the Amazon rainforest home in the Back Matter and find more activities in the Teacher and Parent Guide.

Why I Like this Book:

With lyrical language and stunningly detailed illustrations, Arnold and Gilbert invite readers to enter Armando’s world and experience the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the Amazon rainforest. From the outset, readers will understand why the rainforest and its inhabitants are so special, and, like Armando, they will feel “connected to his leafy refuge” and the many creatures that inhabit it.

As the story progresses, a series of people approach the now-adult Armando. They offer him riches to chop down the trees for furniture and houses. They offer to give him whatever he asks in exchange for land for a cattle ranch. They offer him more power in exchange for a dam on the river. And they offer to trade the rainforest and its wealth of minerals beneath the land for another “great piece of land.” I love how Armando rejects each offer by answering that he already has riches within the rainforest, that there is nothing else he desires, that power is also “in the small”, and that each piece of land “has its own treasures to give.”

Readers can see both the potential, and sadly very real, dangers to the rainforest and how the refusal of one person can make a difference to the rainforest and the creatures who call it home. Readers also learn that riches mean more than financial wealth, that power can lie in small creatures and details, and that the flora and fauna that surrounds their homes are also worth protection.

Arnold’s text is longer than that found in many current picture books. But because that text is so beautifully and lyrically written and because the detailed illustrations are so captivating, I highly recommend Armando’s Island for young children as well as elementary school students.

A Note about Craft:

For much of Armando’s Island, Armando is a grown man who owns the land where he lives. To help children relate to his story, Arnold shows how Armando loved his home as a child. Without these first few spreads, I think children would have a more difficult time understanding Armando’s connection to and love of his rainforest home and the creatures that inhabit it.

This Perfect Picture Book entry is being added to Susanna Hill’s Perfect Picture Book list. Check out the other great picture books featured there!