Hot off the Press!
Finally you can order, The Chuña in print. Orders can be placed with Lulu Press or Amazon and will be printed in the country where you order from or in close proximity. Part of the proceeds go to the conservation of the Yungas in northwest Argentina!
Those buying in Europe go to the Amazon in your country. (ie: amazon.es, amazon.co.uk, amazon.nl, etc.)
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Gracias a todos por su entusiasmo con mi libro, La Chuña! Después de lanzar una versión digital gratuita, muchas personas preguntaron cuándo estaría disponible en forma impresa …
Los pedidos se pueden realizar con Lulu Press or Amazon y se imprimirán en el país desde el que realiza el pedido o en las proximidades. Parte de las ganancias se destinan a la conservación de las Yungas en el noreste de Argentina!
The Chuña (audiovisual version)
Thank you everyone for your enthusiasm about my FREE 3D flip book, THE CHUÑA. There was so much interest that I have decided to offer an audiovisual version read by my dear friend and librarian, Martha Perry Liu.
Click on the image below!
(Haga clic aquí para una introducción en español.)
Enjoy!
TALES FROM THE YUNGAS consists of three picture books about animals either unknown and/or at risk of endangerment found in the northwest region of Argentina, known as the yungas. The books are written with an emphasis on the observation of animals in their natural habitat. All three informative books are enveloped by a story to engage the reader, whilst learning about a particular animal. The stories give first hand encounters of children living in close proximity with the wildlife surrounding them and include back matter and tips on observing animals in the wild.
The first book, THE CHUÑA, is based on a true story that occurred during a drought on our private nature reserve in the subtropical region of Argentina. It was observed that some animals were showing strange behavior. The intention with the book is to raise awareness about unknown animals and their habitat, transmit comfort in not always knowing why animals do what they do and excite the reader to come up with their own scenarios. Within the arrangement of the story lies factual information and mere observation. This allows the reader to take pleasure in the wonder, mystery, and fascination of nature in its pure form.
THE PICTURE BOOKS:
• Introduce a region in Northwest Argentina and the animals that inhabit the area.
• Support curiosity, understanding, exploration and respect of all living things, alleviating fear of these animals.
• Teach techniques to observe animals in the wild encouraging children to be in nature which can provide them with opportunities that transcend language, gender, race, religion, nationality…
• Show that we humans are part of nature, not separate.
• Transmit a sense of calmness in our over stimulated society.
• Introduce foreign language (bilingual English/Spanish).
The chuña, or red legged seriema, is a mostly predatory terrestrial bird found in South America. They are usually in pairs or in groups of up to four and can be found foraging around open grassland or in lightly wooded areas. They can run very fast which they prefer to do over flying in order to escape predators! Chuñas are omnivores, which means they eat both plants and animals. They are one of the few birds with eyelashes. It is the blue around their eyes, red beak and legs, feathery crest and size that give them such a striking appearance. (Yes, in the second photo the chuña is eating dog food!) This is just one of the many animals that live in the yungas of Argentina!
Below, a recording of the chuña’s beautiful song.
Some say that the chuñas let out their ‘laugh like’ song when the weather is about to change and to mark their territory.