Afternoon on the Amazon
by Mary Pope Osborne
Grades 2-5; Genre - Historical Fiction with Fantastical Elements; GRL M; AR pts: 1.0
Jack and Annie are looking for the second special thing they need to help free Morgan from Merlin’s spell. They go to the rain forest and run into a silly monkey who helps them find what they're looking for.
Comprehension Questions
Chapter 1
- Who is Peanut? A mouse p. 6
- How many special things do Jack and Annie need to find to help Morgan? Four p. 2
- How many more things do they need to find? Three p. 6
Chapter 2
- Where did the tree house take the children? To the rain forest p. 7
- Why didn’t Annie want to go to the rain forest? Its creepy, lots of bugs and spiders p. 8
- Who was excited to see the rain forest? Jack p. 9
Chapter 3
- How many layers are there in a rain forest? Three p. 13
- What are the three layers called? Canopy, understory, forest floor p. 14
- Where did Jack realize the tree house landed? Top layer of the rain forest, forest canopy p. 14
- How did Jack feel when he came to the understory below the canopy? It was the spookiest place he’d ever seen p. 17
Chapter 4
- What did the forest look like as Jack and Annie stood on the forest floor? Trees were tall and wide, vines and moss were hanging everywhere, ground covered with dead leaves, dark p. 19
- What does “camouflage” mean? When living things blend in with their surroundings p. 19
- What was the crackling sound Jack and Annie heard?Millions of army ants p. 21
- What was the canoe missing when Jack and Annie started going down the river? Paddles p. 26
Chapter 5
- How long is the Amazon River? More than 4000 miles long p. 28
- Why did Jack want to get to shore? There were piranhas swimming around them p. 29
- What did Jack grab when he tried to grab a vine? A long green snake p. 31
- Annie tried to grab something that looked like a branch. What was it really? Crocodile p. 32
Chapter 6
- Did the monkey seem friendly or mean? Mean p. 36
- How do you know? He started throwing fruit at Jack and Annie p. 36
- Why was the river a bad place for a storm? Wind can make waves, lightning can strike the water, rain can fill the canoe
- Who helped Jack and Annie get to the bank of the river? The monkey p. 39
Chapter 7
- What did the monkey want Jack and Annie to do? Follow him p. 40
- What was the monkey trying to do? Help Jack and Annie p. 40
- While it was raining, what acted like a huge umbrella? The canopy, the treetops p. 41
- How did the monkey save Annie from the jaguar? Pulled on its tail so the jaguar chased him p.44
Chapter 8
- What creatures did the children read about that made them want to go home? Vampire bats p.47
- Who was helping Jack and Annie get back to the tree house? Peanut p. 48
Chapter 9
- Was Annie able to find the Pennsylvania book? Not at first p. 53
- Why did the monkey throw fruit at the children on the river? The fruit was the special thing they needed to save Morgan. It was trying to help them p. 56
- Why could the children find the Pennsylvania book after they found the special thing? The ninja master said they could only go home after they found what they were looking for. p. 57
Chapter 10
- What was the red fruit called that the monkey gave them? Mango p. 61
- How many things have the children found so far? Two p. 61
- What are they? Moonstone and mango p. 61