Angel Falls

Children's Literature - Deborah Zink Roffino

Come along on an wondrous exploration of the highest waterfall on earth, Angel Falls, in the Venezuelan Highlands. Artists and intrepid travelers, the Jordans retrace their trip with journal entries and overwhelming oil paintings that capture the magnificence of the Amazon. They expertly frame environmental appreciation with botany, biology and geography using vivid art and poetic language.

Children's Literature - Dr. Judy Rowen

This book was inspired by the five months the authors spent traveling down Venezuela's Carrao River to Auyantepui, the mountain that is home to the highest waterfall in the world. Proving the adage that the best part of a trip isn't arriving, but all that occurs during the journey, the Jordans focus on the animals and plants they encountered during the sojourn. Stunning, full-color illustrations provide a glimpse into the beauty of the rainforest. Rather than static dioramas, the paintings depict lots of action and excitement-a margay chasing an armadillo, a stampede of white-lipped peccaries, an invasion by howler monkeys. A wonderful armchair adventure, this book can be enjoyed by the entire family, and it would also be a great addition to the classroom.

Mary Harris Veeder

Other books have covered Angel Falls, but the Jordans' approach is distinctive because of its attention to flora, fauna, and the rigors of travel, and also because of Martin Jordan's oil paintings of animal life along the way. Instead of isolating the falls with a helicopter camera shot, the book marches readers through the ecology that surrounds the area, with the journey providing the book's structure, and the people playing the role of observers instead of conquerors. There's a glossy oil painting on nearly every page, making the book a nice showpiece for sharing with small groups.