Today is my preschooler’s first day of school, so our summer is officially over. I know it’s still summer break in many parts of the United States, so I’m determined to finish this around the world book project for you! Join us in exploring the best children’s books about South America.
My son and I did read these books together about a month ago; I just couldn’t seem to find the time to blog about it. To track our bookish journey, we’ve been using the Barefoot Books Global Passport reading log (see the link below to download yours.)
Related Post: How to Have a DIY Around the World Summer Camp
Disclosure: For your convenience this post contains affiliate links. If you purchase items through these links, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. I received a free review copy of The Young Teacher and the Great Serpent from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. You can read my full disclosure policy here.
We’re Roaming in the Rainforest by Laurie Krebs and Anne Wilson
Bright colors, fascinating animals, and playful rhymes invite children to explore the Amazon in We’re Roaming in the Rainforest. Our son was intrigued by the pink dolphins, and a bit afraid of the caimans who “offer our prey an unwelcome surprise.” Preschoolers will enjoy the simple story, while the book’s 9 pages of educational end notes about the Amazonian rainforest, its peoples, and its animals give it appeal to older children as well. (Set in Peru, recommended for ages 4 – 8).
Ada’s Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood and Sally Wern Comport
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When I think of a town built on a landfill, it’s hard for me to imagine anything other than survival and despair. Ada’s Violin challenged my stereotypes in telling the true story of a teacher and a group of children who learned to make beautiful music with their recycled instruments. It’s truly a tale of community, with the town’s gancheros (recyclers who find materials to sell in the dump) figuring out what landfill materials could be used to make instruments. The book follows the children’s journey to far away lands where they open for a famous rock band. They discovered that “buried in the trash was music. And buried in themselves was something to be proud of.” (Set in Paraguay, recommended for ages 5 – 10).
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The Young Teacher and the Great Serpent by Irene Vasco. Illustrated by Juan Palomino.
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This unique book introduces children to the value of Indigenous wisdom while cautioning against the all-too-common paternalism when outsiders arrive to “help” a community.
After a lengthy and arduous journey, a young teacher arrives in the Indigenous Colombian community of Las Delicias, located deep in the Amazonian rainforest. She has her most valued treasure with her – her book collection – which she knows will transform the children’s lives.
When her students say that everyone must leave the village because the Great Serpent (the river) is angry, the teacher dismisses the sacred stories they tell as legends. A furious storm challenges her perceptions and opens her heart and mind to the knowledge the community has wanted to share with her all along. (Recommended for ages 7 – 10.)
Love and Roast Chicken by Barbara Knutson
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There are few books that make both our 4 year old and me laugh out loud; Love and Roast Chicken is one of them. Cuy the Guinea Pig is a classic trickster, fooling Tio Antonio the Fox into doing ridiculous things like holding a rock up so that the sky will not fall (while Cuy runs away from the hungry Antonio.) My favorite part of the story is when Cuy dresses up as a farmworker and is hired by a farmer who does wonder why he is such a small man. The story also has a smattering of Spanish phrases and includes a glossary in the back. (Set in Peru, recommended for ages 4 – 8).
To get your passport-themed book log, just use the quick form below to access it in my free Resource Library!
Waiting for the Biblioburro by Monica Brown and John Parra
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Any child who loves a trip to the library is likely to be fascinated by the true story found in Waiting for the Biblioburro. Colombian librarian Luis Soriano Bohorquez knew that many children in rural areas had no books at all at home, so he created a traveling library carried by his burros. Ana, the heroine of the story, has only 1 precious book before she meets the librarian. Ana knows her book by heart, so she also stays up late making up stories for her little brother. She is of course delighted to meet the librarian, experience his storytime, and choose storybooks she can keep until his next visit. When Ana returns, she greets him with a story she has written: his story of the biblioburro! (Set in Colombia, recommended for ages 4 – 8).
Related Post: Learn about Colombia with Global Citizen Kids Club
The Dancing Turtle by Pleasant DeSpain and David Boston
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The Dancing Turtle is a Brazilian trickster tale of how turtle outsmarts a man who wants to make soup out of her. She’s a most unusual turtle since she sings and dances. She uses this to her advantage by convincing the man’s children to free her from her cage so that she can perform for them. She of course ends up escaping when they are distracted.
The children decide to paint a giant rock to look like the turtle’s shell so that their father won’t know of their mistake. It’s only when the rock shatters their serving plate that the father realizes what has happened. He vows to catch the turtle again, and the readers are left to answer the question of whether we think this is possible. (Set in Brazil, recommended for ages 4 – 8).
The Princess of the Springs by Mary Finch and Martina Peluso
The mystical Princess of the Springs follows Princess Ibura on the journey she must take after marrying the Sun Giant. Ibura does not want to leave her mother, but the Sun Giant’s many pleas to marry him finally change her mind. She accepts his proposal only because he agrees to let her visit her mother for three months of every year. The story is full of obstacles that Ibura must overcome to save both her mother and her infant son from danger, revealing Ibura’s strength and cleverness. (Set in Brazil, recommended for ages 6 – 10).
Slowly, Slowly, Slowly Said the Sloth by Eric Carle
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You’re sure to find your pace slowing a bit if you read the words of “Slowly, Slowly, Slowly” Said the Sloth out loud. The other brightly colored, quick moving animals come along to question the sloth about why he is so slow, so quiet, so boring, so lazy. The thoughtful sloth responds that while he is many things (languid, stoic, mellow, tranquil), he is not lazy. He simply likes to do things slowly, slowly, slowly. (Set in Amazonian rain forest, recommended for ages 3 – 7).
Pio Peep! Traditional Spanish Nursery Rhymes by Alma Flor Ada and F. Isabel Campoy
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Nursery rhymes are an excellent way for children to play with language and build their pre-reading skills. Pio Peep! introduces children to traditional Latin American nursery rhymes in both Spanish and English. The illustrations and playful and inviting, and I appreciate that each rhyme is given its own two page spread rather than being crowded as some nursery rhyme books are. (Set throughout Latin America, recommended for ages 0 – 6).
Related Post: Best Children’s Books and Crafts about Guatemala
Mariana and the Merchild by Caroline Pitcher and Jackie Morris
Jackie Morris is one of my favorite illustrators, so when I was researching books for this post I was delighted to find Mariana and the Merchild. Mariana longs to be a friend to the children in her village, but they are frightened of her. After a terrible storm, Mariana peers into a rock pool at the beach and discovers a baby. Mariana loves the child, but a Wise Woman eventually tells her that the child is a mer-baby, whose mother hid her in a crab shell to protect her for sea wolves.
Mariana returns the baby to her hiding place, where she sees her mermaid mother return to nurse her. She asks Mariana to look after the child, and promises to return each day to feed the baby and teach her how to swim. Mariana delights in caring for the child, and discovers that the little girl also enables the village children to trust her. When the mer-child finally must return to the sea permanently, she has the children of her community to comfort her. (Set in Chile, recommended for ages 5 – 9).
Want to continue your around the world book journey? Find books about Africa, North America, Asia, Europe, and Australia.
Tell us in the comments: what are your favorite children’s books set in South America?
2 responses to “Global Passport: Best Children’s Books Set in South America”
Having recently traveled to South and Central America, I love this post featuring children’s books set in this part of the world! I love the references to Cuy and the sloth. I feel as though I get to relive my travels as I look through these different books!
Sounds like a wonderful trip Brooke! Glad the books brought back good memories.