TIBERIUS, ARAPAIMA, AND THE MONSTER EEL

When his village is threatened, a boy joins a quest deep into the rainforest in this debut children’s book.

Born in Winiperu, a small village in the Amazon rainforest, 10-year-old Tiberius is the grandson of the Grand Chief; his grandmother is a healer; and his parents are spiritual leaders and teachers. As for Tiberius, a fortuneteller foretold at his birth that he’d become a village chief at only 14 “thanks to his bravery, young wisdom, and leadership.” He has a chance to demonstrate these qualities when a “Monster Eel” takes over the nearby lake, eating all the fish and endangering the village. Tiberius and his best friend volunteer to join adult villagers in making a long and perilous journey to bring back the arapaima fish, the only creature large and fierce enough to defeat the giant eel. The expedition runs into trouble several times, and Tiberius always saves the day. Four years later, the fortuneteller’s prediction comes true. In his tale, London deftly captures the heady atmosphere of the Amazon, with its colorful birds, beasts, plants, and natural beauty. His storybook cadence helps cast a spell, as with the description of the “Monster Eel that was bigger than a chicken, bigger than a rabbit, bigger than a sheep, bigger than a cow, and bigger than an elephant.” The author draws on his own experiences growing up in the Amazon basin, and the work is often richly evocative of the rainforest and Indigenous culture, portrayed in the lovely, uncredited colored-pencil illustrations. But it’s impossible to tell the story’s era; dress is traditional, but technology (such as blacksmithing) often isn’t. The name Tiberius; elephants; travel by horse and cart; pajamas; fireworks—all seem extremely out of place in the jungle.

A well-told Amazon story with an appealing young hero but some puzzling details.