Zonia’’s Rain Forest

　　A heartfelt, visually stunning picture book from Caldecott Honor and Robert F. Sibert Medal winner Juana Martinez-Neal illuminates a young girl’s day of play and adventure in the lush rain forest of Peru.

　　Zonia’s home is the Amazon rain forest, where it is always green and full of life. Every morning, the rain forest calls to Zonia, and every morning, she answers. She visits the sloth family, greets the giant anteater, and runs with the speedy jaguar. But one morning, the rain forest calls to her in a troubled voice. How will Zonia answer?

　　Acclaimed author-illustrator Juana Martinez-Neal explores the wonders of the rain forest with Zonia, an Asháninka girl, in her joyful outdoor adventures. The engaging text emphasizes Zonia’s empowering bond with her home, while the illustrations—created on paper made from banana bark—burst with luxuriant greens and delicate details. Illuminating back matter includes a translation of the story in Asháninka, information on the Asháninka community, and resources on the Amazon rain forest and its wildlife.

Juana Martinez-Neal is the author-illustrator of the Caldecott Honor Book Alma and How She Got Her Name. She is the illustrator of two books by Susan Middleton Elya: La Princesa and the Pea, for which she received a Pura Belpré Illustrator Award, and La Madre Goose: Nursery Rhymes for Los Niños. More recently, she illustrated Babymoon by Hayley Barrett. Juana Martinez-Neal was born in Lima, Peru, and now lives in Arizona.