World Burn Down

Carlos’s mum works for IBAMA, Brazil’s Environmental Authority, where her job protecting the Amazon rainforest from illegal deforestation has earned her some powerful enemies. The land-grabbers, who destroy vast areas of precious forest for farming, logging and mining, are prepared to go to extreme lengths to ensure they are not stopped by the authorities.

Carlos is terrified when he’s kidnapped by the land-grabbers in a bid to force his mother to back off. As he is being driven deep into the jungle, the jeep crashes and he is abandoned by his captor in the middle of a forest fire. Although Carlos escapes the burning vehicle, he must navigate through inhospitable terrain, avoid the raging fires and stay one-step ahead of his ruthless kidnappers if he is to survive.

This fast-paced adventure raises awareness of the environmental devastation caused by the destruction of the Amazon rainforest. The dyslexia-friendly format features thick pages to ensure words and images don’t show through, and a special font and layout to minimise confusion. The text has been specially edited to suit a reading age of 8+, while the content is more appropriate for slightly older readers. Striking black-and-white illustrations add drama to this gripping tale.