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The Quest for Z: The True Story of Explorer Percy Fawcett and a Lost City in the Amazon
British explorer Percy Fawcett believed that hidden deep within the Amazon rainforest was an ancient city, lost for the ages. Most people didn't even believe this city existed. But if Fawcett could find it, he would be rich and famous forever. This is the true story of one man's thrilling, dangerous journey into the jungle, and what he found on his quest for the lost city of Z.
48 pages, Hardcover
Published June 13, 2017
About the author
Greg Pizzoli
58 books161 followersGreg Pizzoli is the author and illustrator of The Watermelon Seed, winner of the Theodor Seuss Geisel Award, Number One Sam, Templeton Gets His Wish, Tricky Vic: The Impossibly True Story of the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower, and coming in April 2016, Good Night Owl. He lives in Philadelphia.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
November 3, 2017
Pizzoli's biography of Fawcett starts on page 5 with a legend of an ancient city in Brazil that had been "forgotten." He tells us that "no one" knew where it was. That centers the story--and the reader, too--in a British point of view. The British didn't know where that city was.
Let's assume there was, in fact, a city. If you centered the story in an Indigenous point of view, would we be reading "no one" knew where it was? I doubt it. For various reasons, Indigenous people who knew where it was might withhold its location from the likes of Fawcett. By the time Fawcett was traipsing about, the Indigenous people of South America had been fighting Brits for literally, hundreds of years. British expeditions were all over South America, looking for riches and enslaving Indigenous people to work on plantations and in mines. My point: British people didn't know where it was; saying "nobody" means that the only people who count, in this book, are British.
The next pages in The Quest for Z tell us that every since he was little, Fawcett had dreams of traveling the world and exploring new places. On page 6, we see an illustration of him as a baby, holding a globe. On page 7, there's this one, too, showing him as a little boy, a teenager, and then as an adult. Overall, he looks harmless. Some might even say he looks endearing. You're supposed to see him that way. You're supposed to cheer for him. You're supposed to like him. You're supposed to want to go on his adventures with him.
Percy Fawcett's first trip to South America was in 1906. When preparing for that trip, Pizzoli tells us that Fawcett took "gifts for any potentially hostile tribes he might encounter" (p. 12).
That's all we get. Tribes who might be hostile.
Why, though, might they feel unfriendly to Europeans? Do children who are reading this book have the knowledge they need to process why Indigenous people are being characterized as "hostile"? Pizzoli does nothing to tell children (or adults) why they might be hostile. If a book like this is going to be done, I think it is important to contextualize things like that. Leaving them simply as "hostile tribes" affirms and feeds ignorance.
A few pages later, Pizzoli tells us about an expedition down the Rio Negro. The river got rough, so they had to get out of the water and carry their canoes through the forest to find safer waters. One of the crew went off to look for a route they could go on and didn't return. They found him, dead, "with forty-two arrows in his body" (p. 19).
We aren't told who shot those 42 arrows, but we know who it was. Someone from those hostile tribes. We're supposed to feel bad for that fellow, there, with those arrows in him. Count them if you wish; Pizzoli made sure there are 42. Because this whole story is being told to us from a British (White) point of view, we're meant to see that man as courageous as he tried to find a better route. The account of his death is in the Exploration Fawcett, too. In it, Fawcett writes that the river was "infested" by "the dreaded Pascaguara Indians" (p. 115). Infested? Again, I wondered why this picture book for children was written. Fawcett was clearly racist but in Pizzoli's book, none of that comes through. We get lots of images of Fawcett as a jolly and courageous fellow.
Turning the page, we learn that on another of his trips, Fawcett was warned to stay away from a certain area because "the natives who lived there would attack outsiders" (p. 20). The use of "outsiders" is the closest we get to a reason why the Native peoples there would respond as they did but I think it is far from sufficient. We already know that Fawcett is not one to turn away from danger. He goes on, despite the warnings.
Soon, poison-tipped arrows fell from the sky. Fawcett and his crew were surrounded. He gave a bizarre order. The order? He told his crew to sing. They sang British songs. One guy played an accordion. It worked. The arrows stopped, and, "the two groups parted as friends." That account--about singing--is in the "Good Savage" chapter of Exploration Fawcett. Again, I wonder why this book was written, published, and why it is getting such rave reviews?
What we have, in Pizzoli's book, is this:
--hostile tribes
--a British man killed by some of those hostile tribespeople
--natives who would attack outsiders but who were won over by British music.
Readers are not shown any of the Indigenous peoples in the places Percy Fawcett went. Instead, we have words about them, and illustrations of their poison-tipped arrows in and all around British men. In short, we have biased and stereotypical content.
The "hostile tribes" in The Quest for Z are a stereotype. They are the Indians who attack, apparently without provocation or reason. We're meant to understand them as savages. But were they? In fact, they were attacking outsiders because those outsiders had been taking family members into slavery. Let's be real about what was going on! They were fighting to protect their moms. Their kids. Their dads, grandparents, and their siblings. Some of those "hostile" Indians are simple minded, lulled out of their aggression by British song.
I noted above that I read Fawcett's writings as I reviewed Pizzoli's picture book. In the chapter titled River of Evil, Fawcett wrote about how construction of a railroad had driven Indigenous people from their homelands in Madeira. He shares a story told to him by a "half-caste" who described finding two Indigenous people who went on a hunger strike to protest what was happening. One died, but the other? "We strung him up to a tree by the heels and had a little rifle practice on him. He died at the eight shot. It was great fun!" (p. 123).
During those trips, Fawcett continued to hear about that lost city. In April of 1925, he set out to find it. Newspapers carried reports of his progress. In his last report, he wrote that he expected to find the city in August. But that was, in fact, his last report. He didn't return. Since then, Pizzoli tells readers in the final pages of his book, many treasure hunters, fame seekers, and movie stars have tried to find out what happened to him. As many as a hundred of them have gone missing, too.
On the last page (p. 40), Pizzoli tells us that Fawcett is famous--not for his success--but for his failure. His "amazing adventures" and his "unparalleled passion" give him a place in history. With his book, Pizzoli adds to this racist man having a place in history. But with this book, Pizzoli also adds to, and affirms, stereotypes of Indigenous people. He's made colonialism a good thing. It was not.
So--again--why did this book get published? What does it offer?
Obviously, I do not recommend Greg Pizzoli's The True Story of Explorer Percy Fawcett and a Lost City in the Amazon. In the first paragraph of his Author's Note, Pizzoli writes that, as he worked on this biography, he felt like he had lost his way, but he kept on working on this book because, he writes in the fourth paragraph, "we all hunt for unknowable answers, and dream of places where the problems of our lives will dissolve away." He's right. Many of us do that, but I wish Pizzoli had set the manuscript aside--or that he'd written it in a way that was critical of racism, stereotypical ideas, and colonialism. He didn't do that, though, and so--we've got another book for children that denigrates Native peoples. This vicious cycle, continues, and we're all the worse for it.
Let's assume there was, in fact, a city. If you centered the story in an Indigenous point of view, would we be reading "no one" knew where it was? I doubt it. For various reasons, Indigenous people who knew where it was might withhold its location from the likes of Fawcett. By the time Fawcett was traipsing about, the Indigenous people of South America had been fighting Brits for literally, hundreds of years. British expeditions were all over South America, looking for riches and enslaving Indigenous people to work on plantations and in mines. My point: British people didn't know where it was; saying "nobody" means that the only people who count, in this book, are British.
The next pages in The Quest for Z tell us that every since he was little, Fawcett had dreams of traveling the world and exploring new places. On page 6, we see an illustration of him as a baby, holding a globe. On page 7, there's this one, too, showing him as a little boy, a teenager, and then as an adult. Overall, he looks harmless. Some might even say he looks endearing. You're supposed to see him that way. You're supposed to cheer for him. You're supposed to like him. You're supposed to want to go on his adventures with him.
Percy Fawcett's first trip to South America was in 1906. When preparing for that trip, Pizzoli tells us that Fawcett took "gifts for any potentially hostile tribes he might encounter" (p. 12).
That's all we get. Tribes who might be hostile.
Why, though, might they feel unfriendly to Europeans? Do children who are reading this book have the knowledge they need to process why Indigenous people are being characterized as "hostile"? Pizzoli does nothing to tell children (or adults) why they might be hostile. If a book like this is going to be done, I think it is important to contextualize things like that. Leaving them simply as "hostile tribes" affirms and feeds ignorance.
A few pages later, Pizzoli tells us about an expedition down the Rio Negro. The river got rough, so they had to get out of the water and carry their canoes through the forest to find safer waters. One of the crew went off to look for a route they could go on and didn't return. They found him, dead, "with forty-two arrows in his body" (p. 19).
We aren't told who shot those 42 arrows, but we know who it was. Someone from those hostile tribes. We're supposed to feel bad for that fellow, there, with those arrows in him. Count them if you wish; Pizzoli made sure there are 42. Because this whole story is being told to us from a British (White) point of view, we're meant to see that man as courageous as he tried to find a better route. The account of his death is in the Exploration Fawcett, too. In it, Fawcett writes that the river was "infested" by "the dreaded Pascaguara Indians" (p. 115). Infested? Again, I wondered why this picture book for children was written. Fawcett was clearly racist but in Pizzoli's book, none of that comes through. We get lots of images of Fawcett as a jolly and courageous fellow.
Turning the page, we learn that on another of his trips, Fawcett was warned to stay away from a certain area because "the natives who lived there would attack outsiders" (p. 20). The use of "outsiders" is the closest we get to a reason why the Native peoples there would respond as they did but I think it is far from sufficient. We already know that Fawcett is not one to turn away from danger. He goes on, despite the warnings.
Soon, poison-tipped arrows fell from the sky. Fawcett and his crew were surrounded. He gave a bizarre order. The order? He told his crew to sing. They sang British songs. One guy played an accordion. It worked. The arrows stopped, and, "the two groups parted as friends." That account--about singing--is in the "Good Savage" chapter of Exploration Fawcett. Again, I wonder why this book was written, published, and why it is getting such rave reviews?
What we have, in Pizzoli's book, is this:
--hostile tribes
--a British man killed by some of those hostile tribespeople
--natives who would attack outsiders but who were won over by British music.
Readers are not shown any of the Indigenous peoples in the places Percy Fawcett went. Instead, we have words about them, and illustrations of their poison-tipped arrows in and all around British men. In short, we have biased and stereotypical content.
The "hostile tribes" in The Quest for Z are a stereotype. They are the Indians who attack, apparently without provocation or reason. We're meant to understand them as savages. But were they? In fact, they were attacking outsiders because those outsiders had been taking family members into slavery. Let's be real about what was going on! They were fighting to protect their moms. Their kids. Their dads, grandparents, and their siblings. Some of those "hostile" Indians are simple minded, lulled out of their aggression by British song.
I noted above that I read Fawcett's writings as I reviewed Pizzoli's picture book. In the chapter titled River of Evil, Fawcett wrote about how construction of a railroad had driven Indigenous people from their homelands in Madeira. He shares a story told to him by a "half-caste" who described finding two Indigenous people who went on a hunger strike to protest what was happening. One died, but the other? "We strung him up to a tree by the heels and had a little rifle practice on him. He died at the eight shot. It was great fun!" (p. 123).
During those trips, Fawcett continued to hear about that lost city. In April of 1925, he set out to find it. Newspapers carried reports of his progress. In his last report, he wrote that he expected to find the city in August. But that was, in fact, his last report. He didn't return. Since then, Pizzoli tells readers in the final pages of his book, many treasure hunters, fame seekers, and movie stars have tried to find out what happened to him. As many as a hundred of them have gone missing, too.
On the last page (p. 40), Pizzoli tells us that Fawcett is famous--not for his success--but for his failure. His "amazing adventures" and his "unparalleled passion" give him a place in history. With his book, Pizzoli adds to this racist man having a place in history. But with this book, Pizzoli also adds to, and affirms, stereotypes of Indigenous people. He's made colonialism a good thing. It was not.
So--again--why did this book get published? What does it offer?
Obviously, I do not recommend Greg Pizzoli's The True Story of Explorer Percy Fawcett and a Lost City in the Amazon. In the first paragraph of his Author's Note, Pizzoli writes that, as he worked on this biography, he felt like he had lost his way, but he kept on working on this book because, he writes in the fourth paragraph, "we all hunt for unknowable answers, and dream of places where the problems of our lives will dissolve away." He's right. Many of us do that, but I wish Pizzoli had set the manuscript aside--or that he'd written it in a way that was critical of racism, stereotypical ideas, and colonialism. He didn't do that, though, and so--we've got another book for children that denigrates Native peoples. This vicious cycle, continues, and we're all the worse for it.
June 23, 2017
Super tale of the expedition of explorer Percy Fawcett.
July 4, 2017
While this appears to be well-researched, I am concerned with the white British-centric view of this "explorer" and his view of "hostile tribes" of the Amazon. Without acknowledgement of the perspective of local tribes whose land he was on, and why they might have had legitimate concerns with these explorations into their communities from a colonizing country, I fear this story creates a negative view of the "natives who would attack outsiders" instead of a balanced view of the complexities of the area and time. I would like to think there are ways this could have incorporated a balanced view at a level that would still be appropriate for the age of intended readers.
August 9, 2017
In the early 1900s, explorer Percy Fawcett went looking for a legendary ancient city that was believed to have existed somewhere in Brazil's Amazon rain forest. There he encountered many dangers, including unfriendly natives, giant snakes, and deadly insects. It's a clever, fascinating book, and Pizzoli's artwork greatly compliments the story.
September 20, 2017
I first heard of Percy Fawcett when, as a teenager, I found a book he wrote in a book sale. I've been intrigued by him ever since, so I was pleased to see David Grann's book come out and now this one introducing children to the exploits of this eccentric man. Pizzoli nicely summarized Fawcett's career, relating his many exploits in South America before he began his search for the lost city of "Z" as well as his final, fatal expedition. I particularly enjoyed reading about a few of the people who set out in search of the missing Fawcett, some of whom never were seen again. (The book says that "It's estimated that as many as one hundred people have disappeared or died in the hunt for Percy Fawcett..." p.38.) I was pleased to see that the recent discovery via satellite photos and radar imaging of the remains of ancient cities in the Amazon, which supports Fawcett's belief in Z, were included. A list of books, web sites, and newspaper articles at the end of the book provide further reading for those who want more details. I actually learned a few things here that I didn't know, which is always good in a book with whose subject you are already familiar. For instance, I didn't know that his brother Edward was a writer of adventure novels. He must have preferred adventures in the mind as opposed to the real-life adventures his brother Percy craved. The only fault I have to find with the book is that the illustrations of Percy and his son and his son's friend make it unclear who is who. Percy should be a good deal older than the other two, yet all three look the same age. Aside from that, a rip-roaring read and recommended!
January 1, 2025
Cute little read. I ran out of time for other Z books
July 11, 2017
The appeal of Greg Pizzoli’s The Quest for Z lies in its mysteries. The unknown has a way of firing the imagination, and this picture book deals with a couple of interesting unknowns. (Pardon my vagueness, but I’m avoiding a major spoiler.) The text’s complexity, especially in the sidebars, probably makes this most appropriate for older elementary students, although Pizzoli’s illustrations do such an excellent job of conveying the story that younger readers are likely to get something out of it too, regardless of how much or how little they explore the text. The Quest for Z is essentially an adventure story, but it also has fun with touches of humor and cartoon-style artwork.
July 9, 2017
Bummed that I ordered the wrong one in (Wanted The Lost City of Z) but this is a good starter for when I get the full book. This one is for a younger group of readers, but still the same story of explorer Colonel Percy Fawcett's quest to find a long fabled civilization hidden deep within the Amazon rain forest. Abbreviated, so to say, but with delightful illustrations.
June 30, 2017
What a highly researched classic ! Loved it!
March 9, 2020
The beginning was interesting, but the ending was a cliffhanger.
March 3, 2023
This is a great book for a kid who likes creepy true stories.
August 12, 2017
I loved Tricky Vic, but something about this one fell a bit flat for me.
July 17, 2017
Interesting, informative but could have had some better word choices. The casual use of the word 'natives' (p. 20) smacks of English imperialism and could have been better phrased. Did the author think using terminology like 'indigenous peoples' was too complicated (and not worth explaining)?
March 30, 2019
3.75 stars. Definitely written from the Western/Euro perspective of exploration and “lost cities,” so be aware of that going in. Larger questions of colonialism/imperialism and all that jazz are not a part of the book; it focuses on Percy Fawcett’s life and explorations. The excitement of exploring new-to-him-and-the-Euro-world places, plants, and animals is conveyed well, and that feeling when reading gave me some idea of what it must’ve felt like for the Western world to read of his exploits. I was left with lots of questions—who were the indigenous guides who helped him? How did his wife feel about all of this? And of course, what really happened to him? The book doesn’t really get into any of the theories regarding what happened after his disappearance. But I think a good non-fiction book gets you to ask more questions and inspires you to further reading. I’ve always wanted to read the adult non-fiction book The Lost City of Z (in fact, it’s been sitting on my Kindle since I bought it in 2009), and now I think I may finally pick it up, to fill in some of the details and see if it answers any of my remaining questions. Great author’s note and sources list for further reading. Lovely illustrations.
February 11, 2018
This is the story of Percy Fawcett and his search for the City of Z in the Amazon. This story has been getting a lot of attention lately and it is an interesting one. Fawcett was a British explorer during a time when lots of people were famous for being explorers. He disappears on his search for the city of Z so that makes his story even more interesting because we don't know what happened to him. However, I felt like this book glossed over a lot and gave a very simplistic view of Fawcett's life and his explorations in South America. It doesn't talk at all about the natives he meets or what happens to them when the "whites" come exploring. It doesn't talk about the time period and how indigenous peoples were treated. It glosses over anything negative that might be part of the Fawcett story. I feel like it makes for an incomplete and inaccurate telling.
November 30, 2017
This is the first time when I've felt that Pizzoli's artwork was extremely inappropriate to the story being told. It's cartoony in what is, in fact, a grim and violent story. If it was better told and better illustrated, it would be a good read for upper elementary kids, but the art is just SO bleeping cartoony that it's distracting. People died under Fawcett's leadership, and it's estimated that another hundred people died trying to find him or his body, but the artwork is all cute and perky, even as it describes deadly storms of arrows.
Also, the weird omissions from the historical tale weaken it a great deal.
For instance, much of the story is about interactions with the native peoples of the Amazon, but in fact, they're never shown AT ALL. There are arrows being fired at Fawcett and his men, and in one case all 42 arrows that hit an expedition member are clearly shown, so that you can count them.
Fawcett himself was an army officer and adventurer, but he was also a crackpot with all kinds of crazy theories. He wasn't just looking for ruins in South America, he was looking for very ancient non-indigenous ruins. This was to support some of his theories, like the idea that South America had been inhabited by early Indo-Europeans 10,000 years ago. Pizzoli leaves that part out.
His plan for surviving any hostile natives was to awe them with portable electric lights. Pizzoli leaves that part out. The only remaining evidence of his weirdness was that on a previous expedition, he had ordered the singing of "Onward, Christian Soldiers" to convince the natives that the adventurers were peaceful. Pizzoli misidentifies that hymn, written in the late 19th century by Sabine Baring-Gould, as being "a folk song." The book just felt sloppy, and even things which seemed interesting were never explained, like why an expedition where every cubic inch of space and ounce of weight mattered was carrying an accordion.
There is an excellent bibliography, the best part of the book, of sources which give much more of the story than this book does.
Also, the weird omissions from the historical tale weaken it a great deal.
For instance, much of the story is about interactions with the native peoples of the Amazon, but in fact, they're never shown AT ALL. There are arrows being fired at Fawcett and his men, and in one case all 42 arrows that hit an expedition member are clearly shown, so that you can count them.
Fawcett himself was an army officer and adventurer, but he was also a crackpot with all kinds of crazy theories. He wasn't just looking for ruins in South America, he was looking for very ancient non-indigenous ruins. This was to support some of his theories, like the idea that South America had been inhabited by early Indo-Europeans 10,000 years ago. Pizzoli leaves that part out.
His plan for surviving any hostile natives was to awe them with portable electric lights. Pizzoli leaves that part out. The only remaining evidence of his weirdness was that on a previous expedition, he had ordered the singing of "Onward, Christian Soldiers" to convince the natives that the adventurers were peaceful. Pizzoli misidentifies that hymn, written in the late 19th century by Sabine Baring-Gould, as being "a folk song." The book just felt sloppy, and even things which seemed interesting were never explained, like why an expedition where every cubic inch of space and ounce of weight mattered was carrying an accordion.
There is an excellent bibliography, the best part of the book, of sources which give much more of the story than this book does.
August 3, 2017
I have read a number of books chronicling adventures in jungles like the memorable River of Doubt by Candice Millard about Theodore Roosevelt's dark journey on the Amazon. Yet, it is so exciting to read of this explorer in the early 20th century, a new adventurer to me, and a book for middle-grade students who love exploring, maps, and learning about interesting places in our world. I enjoyed Greg Pizzoli's Tricky Vic, and this one, too, so well presented from the early life of Percy Fawcett to his work and travel for the Royal Geographical Society. The story tells of numerous trips, the equipment needed, dangers faced, like giant anacondas and many kinds of dangerous insects. Eventually, Fawcett centered his life's goals on finding a hidden city that he called "Z", one of great stone buildings built by a people long ago. He knew that if found, he would gain worldwide celebrity. He trekked into unknown areas in a final trip with only his son and his son's friend. The ending is shocking, and Fawcett did indeed become renowned.
Throughout the tale, Pizzoli adds a few side pieces with further information, like about the Amazon and about mosquitos. Wow! Did you know there are estimated to be about 3,500 species of mosquitos on earth? These extras expand the story well, in addition to an author's note, added biographical information, a glossary and a source list. Pizzoli explains the interesting illustrations also which are cartoon-like, created with cut paper collages, and the use of various kinds of technology. He also traveled to Central America and Southeast Asia, trips that inspired the art.
If beginning a study of rain forests, mapping, or explorers, this book will inspire students to want to know more, to plan research in numerous areas, to consider what might be needed to make such trips, pragmatically and emotionally. I enjoyed it very much!
Throughout the tale, Pizzoli adds a few side pieces with further information, like about the Amazon and about mosquitos. Wow! Did you know there are estimated to be about 3,500 species of mosquitos on earth? These extras expand the story well, in addition to an author's note, added biographical information, a glossary and a source list. Pizzoli explains the interesting illustrations also which are cartoon-like, created with cut paper collages, and the use of various kinds of technology. He also traveled to Central America and Southeast Asia, trips that inspired the art.
If beginning a study of rain forests, mapping, or explorers, this book will inspire students to want to know more, to plan research in numerous areas, to consider what might be needed to make such trips, pragmatically and emotionally. I enjoyed it very much!
July 20, 2017
The author of Tricky Vic returns with another rip-roaring nonfiction picture book. It is the true story of Percy Fawcett, a British explorer who searched for an ancient city hidden in the Amazon rainforest. Fawcett had dreamed his entire life of being an explorer and as an adult took many treks into South America to map the region. They faced many dangers, such as huge snakes and natives with weapons. Many of the men he traveled with perished on the adventures but Fawcett survived. Others thought that the Amazon city was a myth while Fawcett insisted that it existed. If he found it, it would make him one of the most famous explorers of all time and one of the wealthiest too. This book tells his tale as he searched for the lost city.
Pizzoli has a knack for selecting real life stories that most people, adults and children, will not have heard of. This one is a fascinating story of belief and bravery, about a man who left family and country behind in his quest to discover the unknown. Pizzoli tells the story with lots of action and a sense of adventure in his prose. There are moments where Pizzoli allows the action to slow, the wonder of the moment to grow, and the dangers to almost overwhelm. It’s written with skill and knowledge, building to a conclusion that suits the life of Fawcett to a Z.
The book design and illustrations add so much to this nonfiction read. Done in a simple and clever style, just like Pizzoli’s picture books, the images add necessary humor to the book. The design of the book also allows additional information to be added on sidebars. Pizzoli uses his illustrations to also create moments of tension and drama, pausing the action for effect.
Smart, stylish and successful, this nonfiction picture book will take readers on quite an adventure. Appropriate for ages 5-9.
Pizzoli has a knack for selecting real life stories that most people, adults and children, will not have heard of. This one is a fascinating story of belief and bravery, about a man who left family and country behind in his quest to discover the unknown. Pizzoli tells the story with lots of action and a sense of adventure in his prose. There are moments where Pizzoli allows the action to slow, the wonder of the moment to grow, and the dangers to almost overwhelm. It’s written with skill and knowledge, building to a conclusion that suits the life of Fawcett to a Z.
The book design and illustrations add so much to this nonfiction read. Done in a simple and clever style, just like Pizzoli’s picture books, the images add necessary humor to the book. The design of the book also allows additional information to be added on sidebars. Pizzoli uses his illustrations to also create moments of tension and drama, pausing the action for effect.
Smart, stylish and successful, this nonfiction picture book will take readers on quite an adventure. Appropriate for ages 5-9.
December 4, 2018
Percy Fawcett, a British explorer during the early 1900s searched for an ancient city that he named “Z” believed to be hidden in the Amazon rainforest. Fawcett had dreamed his entire life of being an explorer, and as an adult took several treks to South America to map the region. His expeditions faced many dangers, such as huge snakes and hostile natives. Many of the men he traveled with died on these adventures, but Fawcett managed to survive. Others thought that the Amazon city was a myth but Fawcett insisted that it existed. If he found it, it would make him one of the most famous explorers of all time and one of the wealthiest too. This book tells his tale as he searched for the lost city. He never found the city and was believed to have perished in the jungle.
There is some good general information here as well as some interesting anecdotes from Fawcett’s many expeditions. When Percy shot an anaconda that was following their boat, then grabbed it to take a skin specimen the snake turned out to be alive and “attacked wildly.” On another occasion, when he and his men were being attacked by natives, Percy gave the bizarre order to have his crew start singing. He and his men sang a medley of British songs together, accompanied by an accordion and the arrows stopped. These are the kind of little details that will appeal to kids, but I don't think there is enough information to make this book useful for reports. Perhaps this was just written as a teaser to get kids interested enough to pursue the subject on their own.
I know Greg Pizzoli mostly through his picture books for children such as The Watermelon Seed and Goodnight Owl. His picture book art is very simple, cartoonish and amusing. He uses that same style of light-hearted illustration here. My major problem with this book is that the illustrations do not match the seriousness of the subject matter.
There are sidebars that Pizolli uses to further explain things that are mentioned in the text such as The Royal Geographic Society, mosquitos, and other famous explorers of the day. The back matter includes an Author’s Note, Glossary, Sources, and information about those who searched for the Fawcett Expedition without success. Nothing has ever been found to answer the question of what happened to the explorers, but surprisingly archaeologists and researchers have recently found evidence proving that there were ancient cities in the Amazon, but not of the scale that Percy imagined.
There is some good general information here as well as some interesting anecdotes from Fawcett’s many expeditions. When Percy shot an anaconda that was following their boat, then grabbed it to take a skin specimen the snake turned out to be alive and “attacked wildly.” On another occasion, when he and his men were being attacked by natives, Percy gave the bizarre order to have his crew start singing. He and his men sang a medley of British songs together, accompanied by an accordion and the arrows stopped. These are the kind of little details that will appeal to kids, but I don't think there is enough information to make this book useful for reports. Perhaps this was just written as a teaser to get kids interested enough to pursue the subject on their own.
I know Greg Pizzoli mostly through his picture books for children such as The Watermelon Seed and Goodnight Owl. His picture book art is very simple, cartoonish and amusing. He uses that same style of light-hearted illustration here. My major problem with this book is that the illustrations do not match the seriousness of the subject matter.
There are sidebars that Pizolli uses to further explain things that are mentioned in the text such as The Royal Geographic Society, mosquitos, and other famous explorers of the day. The back matter includes an Author’s Note, Glossary, Sources, and information about those who searched for the Fawcett Expedition without success. Nothing has ever been found to answer the question of what happened to the explorers, but surprisingly archaeologists and researchers have recently found evidence proving that there were ancient cities in the Amazon, but not of the scale that Percy imagined.
December 6, 2017
A picture book biography of Percy Fawcett, a turn of the century British explorer who mapped many areas of the Amazon and disappeared into the jungle in a quest to find proof of an ancient major civilization in the Amazon which he referred to as Z.
I've read the adult book on Fawcett by Grann The Lost City of Z and based on that, Pizzoli has done a great job of summarizing Fawcett's life and accomplishments for kids. He also manages to convey the dangers of jungle exploration without traumatizing readers. The illustration style helps with that, it's almost like illustration with icons or emoji-like. It's not super detailed but is attractive. A nice picture book biography for the more adventurous reader or those who like unsolved mysteries.
Notes on content: A death is mentioned by arrows, but it is illustrated as a human outline with arrows resting on it and isn't gory. Dangers are mentioned, but they are illustrated apart from humans. Other explorers who disappeared are mentioned, no gory deaths described.
I've read the adult book on Fawcett by Grann The Lost City of Z and based on that, Pizzoli has done a great job of summarizing Fawcett's life and accomplishments for kids. He also manages to convey the dangers of jungle exploration without traumatizing readers. The illustration style helps with that, it's almost like illustration with icons or emoji-like. It's not super detailed but is attractive. A nice picture book biography for the more adventurous reader or those who like unsolved mysteries.
Notes on content: A death is mentioned by arrows, but it is illustrated as a human outline with arrows resting on it and isn't gory. Dangers are mentioned, but they are illustrated apart from humans. Other explorers who disappeared are mentioned, no gory deaths described.
July 8, 2017
I thought at first students might have a hard time realizing Fawcett was a real person, but the details and facts quickly draw in the reader.
Some quirky illustrations show landscape, animals, newspaper headings, and there are sidebars about mosquitoes, the Royal Geographic Society, and the Amazon rain forest. The text is broken up and interspersed around the illustrations, which helps to make it accessible and inviting to read.
Backmatter includes photo of Fawcett, short descriptions of later efforts to find Fawcett, glossary, and author's note (which includes a photo of a crashed plane that initiated his interest in explorers of the Amazon).
I would invite students to discuss what "quest" means as compared to 'search' or 'investigate'. This book could also be used in explorer units to compare/contrast explorers, their work, time period, etc.
Be sure to show students the cover hiding under the dust jacket!
Some quirky illustrations show landscape, animals, newspaper headings, and there are sidebars about mosquitoes, the Royal Geographic Society, and the Amazon rain forest. The text is broken up and interspersed around the illustrations, which helps to make it accessible and inviting to read.
Backmatter includes photo of Fawcett, short descriptions of later efforts to find Fawcett, glossary, and author's note (which includes a photo of a crashed plane that initiated his interest in explorers of the Amazon).
I would invite students to discuss what "quest" means as compared to 'search' or 'investigate'. This book could also be used in explorer units to compare/contrast explorers, their work, time period, etc.
Be sure to show students the cover hiding under the dust jacket!
July 24, 2017
The illustrations keep some humor laced throughout the book, which I found to be particularly nice because the text stayed pretty dry. I read this aloud to my seven-year-old, and he stayed interested throughout, but I found the story dragged in a few spots. Despite that, however, I love that there is
A nice readaloud for a small group or one-on-one. Deals with exploration, discover, adventuring. The book doesn't particularly address the nature of exploration through areas where people were already living, other than to describe "violent native attacks."
A nice readaloud for a small group or one-on-one. Deals with exploration, discover, adventuring. The book doesn't particularly address the nature of exploration through areas where people were already living, other than to describe "violent native attacks."
July 15, 2017
This is not the usual children's books with a happy ending. My kid is so intrigued by the sad happenings in the end and keeps asking me lots about Percy Fawcett, the explorer who has spent all his lives to find the lost city Z. The book also has provided a lot of background information about the geography and the backgrounds which is so distant away from the young readers now.
The author's notes is a part that young readers should not miss. We are fascinated at the reasons why the writer wants to produce the story and how he views his expedition. The sources related to the disappearance of Percy Fawcett can also arouse the interest of young readers to know more about the lost city.
It's a successful work to let young readers imagine how people had their adventures without any gadgets but a heart of courage in the old days.
The author's notes is a part that young readers should not miss. We are fascinated at the reasons why the writer wants to produce the story and how he views his expedition. The sources related to the disappearance of Percy Fawcett can also arouse the interest of young readers to know more about the lost city.
It's a successful work to let young readers imagine how people had their adventures without any gadgets but a heart of courage in the old days.
August 5, 2017
This was a very interesting book and I learned new things I didn't know before. I didn't know about lost cities in the Amazon - or really even how difficult the Amazon still is to traverse. It was also really interesting to read about a time when explorers were more regularly discovering things around our world and it made them celebrities of their time. You hear frequently about Amelia Earhart and her disappearance as an explorer but I had never heard of Percy Fawcett. I like finding books that expose students to new ideas and people from history - especially with an unfinished ending like Fawcett's life had. This wasn't a book where I felt fully engaged in the writing, but I found the topic interesting and will suggest it to certain students I know.
August 18, 2017
A fascinating, interesting read, a perfect nonfiction picture book for 3rd and 4th graders, and a great addition to the nonfiction adventurer/explorer genre. Simple illustrations add to the text but do not overpower it. Mr. Pizzoli doesn't shy away from facts that might be glossed over by other authors, particularly the many deaths that accompany a dangerous profession. Included are four sidebars with information about The Royal Geographical Society, The Amazon Rain Forest, Mosquitoes, and Famous Explorers, and an Author's Note, afterward, glossary, and resource listing that are all just as interesting as the story. Diseases spread by mosquitoes kill at least 750,000 people every year! And 20 percent of Earth's oxygen is produced in the Amazon rainforest! Top Notch.
February 24, 2023
Wow. I don't even know what to say - but seriously - all I could imagine is it written from the perspective of the native people of this land who saw these intruders trying to "conquer" their land and I'm appalled in this day and age this kind of Euro-centric, colonialist praise-type writing is getting published. I would steer clear of this completely. It's an UGH of a white-centered celebration of conquering and "discovering" places that clearly have been protected by indigenous folks and I want to cheer them on for keeping the colonists out, which is not, I know the intended reaction - I'm glad he failed - seriously an ICK of a read. I'd recommend weeding it from any children's library claiming to be "diverse and inclusive". Let's not celebrate this.
June 21, 2017
The story of Percy Fawcett, British explorer who disappeared while searching for a mythical (?) city in the jungles of the Amazon forest, with fairly simple pictures using silkscreen, cut paper, photoshop and more. One actual photograph of Percy Fawcett near the end, an author's note of his own experience walking in the jungle, and 4 paragraphs about other explorers who went in search of the missing Fawcett. Ironically enough, even though the Royal Geological Society didn't believe Fawcett about the reality of the city he searched for, archeologists using modern technology recently found cities right where Fawcett wanted to look. For grades 2-5
October 14, 2017
This looks like an alphabet book, but it is not! It is a longer, more text-heavy picture book biography. I enjoyed learning about explorer Percy Fawcett and his search for a lost city in the Amazon. The details kept me interested, and I like the idea of appreciating Fawcett's contributions/efforts, even though he "failed". It is troubling, though, that explorers are presented unquestioningly as noble figures while indigenous people are described as hostile, murderous tribes. I would have liked for the picture to have been filled out more here, explaining how and why people may have felt threatened by outside explorers coming into their home areas.
January 24, 2018
Cool book about an explorer, Percy Fawcett, who led expeditions for the Royal Geographic Society and tried to find "Z," a lost city in the Amazon jungle. He never returned from his last expedition. Others have looked for him, and over 100 people have died trying to find Z! Very adventuresome book; Fawcett documented his early trips with journals and drawings, had near-misses with poisonous animals, poison arrows from natives, etc, very exciting! I LOVE the illustrations: they are flat cartoons with funny speech bubbles, in retro-style silkscreened/halftone style so that they look like they were made in the 1930's.
January 22, 2019
This book made me want to be an explorer. It is the true story about Percy Fawcett, the man trying to find the Lost City in the "Amazon. I like the Selected Sources at the end of the book. It made me want to find out more about this explorer. In 2017 they made a movie about it which would be interesting to see. The illustrations were simple , but effective. I like the nonfiction sidebars that gave information-one being about mosquitoes, another about the Amazon rainforest. I liked the map. It makes you wonder: What happened to him, Jack (his son) and Raleigh(his son's friend)? I'm sure nothing good. Will they ever find any evidence? Things rot in the jungle.....maybe one day.
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