The Great Kapok Tree - a tale of the Amazon Rain forest

Themes: Cross-curricular, Environment, Indigenous people, Intercultural competence 

Connections to the Curriculum in English: This book gives insight into environmental issues connected to the rain forest and encourages interdisciplinary work. Furthermore, it can be used as inspiration for exploring and reflecting on the situation of indigenous people. 

Book cover

Author and publisher: Lynne Cherry, HarperCollins Publishers 

Summary: This book tells the story of a man who walks into the Amazon rain forest with his ax to chop down a Kapok tree. He soon gets very tired; as he sleeps, the animals who live in the tree whisper in the man’s ear that he must not cut down the tree because that will destroy their place of living. Finally, a boy from the Yanomamo tribe murmurs in the man’s ear: “Senhor, when you awake, please look upon us with new eyes.” When the man wakes up, he sees all the animals and the boy; he picks up his ax and walks out of the rain forest.   

Suitable for students in years: 7-9 

Tags: Cross-curricular, Environment, Indigenous people, Intercultural competence
Published June 8, 2022 9:40 PM - Last modified Sep. 20, 2022 2:33 PM