Greg Pizzoli's books are great -- interesting and informative, with bright illustrations. ( )

A child's simple version of the life of Percy Fawcett, Amazon explorer who after numerous journeys in South America, never returned from his newspaper funded expedition in search of 'Z', the lost city of his ambitions. The collage like illustrations are inoffensive and uninformative. ( )

While Fawcett's expedition was no doubt highly influenced by the indigenous people of the Amazon rain forest, they are scarcely mentioned. A crew member goes missing and is found dead, "with forty-two arrows in his body." A canoe of explorers finds themselves rained upon by poison-tipped arrows. Neither of these events even mentions who might shoot these arrows or why. The details of this book make it come alive (detail of the Royal Geographical Society and animals, for example), but the key players are omitted. ( )

Great biography, with a completely unexpected ending ... ( )

add, "Mixed Media. An informative nonfiction picture book. The author/illustrator supports the text with a variety of images, including maps, diagrams, and collections of images. Includes sidebars that further explain certain in-text references. Also includes Author's Note, Art Note, glossary, source list. Would be a good jumping-off point for secondary students in a Fawcett study. Could also be used for general study of exploration, Amazon, or as an informational mentor text. Grades 2 and up." I love the detailed contributors' notes.