BRAZILIAN CULTURAL EXCHANGE

This third installment of a children’s book series follows a family on a trip to Rio de Janeiro.

Sometimes dreams become reality. When Mori dreams of traveling to Brazil on vacation, he wakes up to find out that he; his sister, Valencia; and his parents really are going there in less than a week. Their trip is frantic from the get-go, as they oversleep and almost miss their flight from Atlanta. They barely stop to rest upon arrival in Rio and instead choose to go straight to the beach. Their trip is marked by nonstop tourism as they visit local landmarks and learn about Brazil’s Indigenous history. There is something for everyone: a museum trip about Brazil’s history of colonization by the Portuguese, a venture into the Amazon rainforest to see the animals, and a front-row seat at Carnival. But despite the novel’s title, it does not demonstrate an actual exchange of cultures: Readers simply follow Mori and his family as they tour Rio and its surroundings. Godoy’s story is fairly devoid of plot but makes a special effort to make every moment teachable and includes an emphasis on the Indigenous cultures of Brazil. Punctuating the tale from time to time are Lim’s black-and-white illustrations, which are light on artistic details but nonetheless convey a certain brightness and energy through the characters’ facial expressions. There is neither backmatter citing sources for the story’s facts nor avenues for further exploration for readers interested in Brazil. Some facts, such as “The people in Brazil totally respect” the statue called Christ the Redeemer and “most of them, especially the Christians, see Christ as the Savior of the world,” beg for supporting evidence. But families willing to overlook this may use this bookas an introduction for early elementary school kids to this South American nation. They may also appreciate the emphasis on the African diaspora; Mori and his family are Black Americans.

A vivid and informative, if limited, tale about Brazil for young readers.