Afternoon on the Amazon is the sixth installment in the Magic Tree House series. It was written by Mary Pope Osborne and illustrated by Sal Murdocca.
Synopsis[]
Jack and Annie go to the tree house and are whisked off to the Amazon Rainforest. They encounter many creatures and make friends with a monkey.
Contents[]
- Where's Peanut?
- Big Bugs
- Yikes!
- Millions of Them!
- Pretty Fish
- Monkey Trouble
- Freeze!
- Vampire Bats?
- The Thing
- Halfway There
Plot[]
One afternoon, Annie and Jack returned to the magic tree house, where they found a field mouse, Peanut, who had accompanied them on a previous trip to Japan. Since Peanut had helped them during that adventure, the children asked the mouse to guide them again on their next journey. Jack opened a book about the Amazon rain forest and pointed to a picture of its towering trees and vibrant plants. Although Annie had been nervous about encountering dangerous creatures like spiders, Jack reminded her of their past adventures with dinosaurs and ghosts, and urged her to help Morgan by exploring the rain forest to find the second item. When Jack touched the page, strong winds began to swirl around them.
Once the winds subsided, they discovered they were 150 feet above the ground in the canopy of the rain forest. Jack read that they would need a rope ladder to safely descend to the forest floor. They were surprised to find the rain forest dark and humid, not as sunny as they had imagined. Peanut scurried away, and Jack’s book explained that many creatures in the rain forest were camouflaged. As they continued their journey, they heard rustling in the leaves and saw animals fleeing. The book revealed that a huge group of ants—millions strong—was marching through the forest, causing the commotion. Annie spotted the ants and urged Jack to hurry back to the tree house.
They reached the Amazon River and decided to wade into it to avoid the ants, but Annie noticed a hollow log that looked like a canoe. They climbed into it, and soon the current started pulling them downriver. Jack read about the Amazon River’s length—4,000 miles to the Atlantic—and warned Annie about the dangerous fish with sharp teeth swimming alongside them. They tried to pull themselves to the shore using a vine, but it turned out to be a snake. Annie reached for another vine, only to find it was actually a crocodile. The two were startled when a monkey threw fruit at them from a nearby tree, prompting them to retaliate by throwing fruit back.
It began to rain, and Annie reassured Jack that this was normal for a rain forest. The monkey, seemingly trying to help, pointed a stick at their canoe. Annie grabbed it, and the monkey used it to pull them to safety. Jack and Annie debated whether to continue searching for the second item or follow the monkey. Annie chose to follow the monkey and, when Jack caught up, found her playing with what seemed to be a big kitten. Jack's book identified it as a baby jaguar. He warned Annie to stay away, as the mother jaguar might be nearby. Just as he spoke, the mother jaguar appeared, ready to attack. Fortunately, the monkey saved them by grabbing the jaguar’s tail, allowing the children to escape.
The monkey gives Jack and Annie a mango.
Deeper in the forest, Jack found more information in his book about vampire bats that bite and drink blood at night. As the rain forest grew darker, they decided to return to the tree house but could not agree on which way to go. Fortunately, Peanut reappeared, leading them back to the tree house. Inside, Jack asked Annie to find the book that would take them home, but she couldn’t find it. Just as they searched, the monkey appeared at the window and threw a piece of fruit inside. Annie interpreted this as the monkey signaling that the fruit was the second item they needed for Morgan. When they realized this, the book that would take them home appeared.
Back in Pennsylvania, Jack looked up the fruit in his book and identified it as a mango. He placed the mango alongside the moonstone, and Annie, believing it was part of a spell, chanted the names of the two items. Though Morgan didn’t appear, the children knew they had collected half of the items needed to free her. They left Peanut behind and walked through the woods toward home, reflecting on the differences between the Pennsylvania woods and the vast Amazon rain forest.
Notes on time and place settings[]
- The research guide explains that they landed in the Amazon rain forest, near the Amazon river. This rain forest is primarily located in the nation of Brazil.
- The only sign of human development is a single wooden canoe. This may suggest that they arrived in the Neolithic Era, a time very early in the growth of civilization. The Neolithic Era was the first time that humans migrated into the Americas.
- This is one of a few adventures in which Jack and Annie visit the Prehistory, the time before written languages.
- In terms of Internal Chronology, this takes place one day after their previous adventure, Night of the Ninjas.