Photographer Araquém Alcântara dedicated his life to recording nature in beautiful images that won the world over. Now he does this with an unprecedented perspective, in which he sees the forest through the eyes and experiences of children who live in the Amazon .
Children's Amazon Book
“Amazônia das Crianças” is Araquém’s first children’s book and gives a voice to indigenous, riverside and quilombola boys and girls so that it contains, in the first person, what it is like to live in the great Forest.
The work brings together 300 images divided into two books and will be distributed in public schools in the Amazon – a partnership with Associação Vagalume , which has been implementing and promoting community libraries in the region for decades.
Accompanying the photos of Araquém are texts by journalist Morris Kachani and illustrations by artist Angelo Abu .
Characters from the Children's Book Amazon
Aimed at children, but broad in nature, the book's protagonists are children from six states in the Amazon region — Acre, Amapá, Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará and Roraima. They are indigenous, riverside, extractivist, quilombola, urban and border children, who represent the diversity of the Amazon biome.
The characters are introduced based on their everyday adventures, such as traveling long distances of water to fish or go to school, participating in the preparations for a festival or a ritual, going on the first big hunt or playing football on the village field.
Intertwined with the exuberant photographs, the texts and illustrations seek a balance between the daily lives of children and the legends of the forest, so ingrained in the imagination of local people.
“Few people know the Amazon that these children see. Therefore, the book gives them a voice. It's a unique vision. Which is very important, because it is precisely children who will lead the preservation of the forest. The future involves educating children now. So that there is a future”, says Araquém Alcântara, who throughout the project produced around 10 thousand images — 300 of them were published in the two books that make up the box.
Amazon Children's Book Narratives
These narratives are guided by the perception and experience of children like Franciele, 10 years old, from the Chico Mendes Extractive Reserve, in Acre, who, when hanging from vines and balancing on logs, imagines herself at the Olympics. On the other side of the forest, in the Raposa Serra do Sol Indigenous Land, in Roraima, nine-year-old Renata playfully narrates the origins of her people, the Macuxis — who emerged from the revolt of the Makunaima warrior.
Little Homero, aged nine, lives in Afuá, Pará, a place that “has no traffic or pollution”. However, a grand encounter takes place there: the sea collides with the Amazon River, giving rise to the Pororoca spectacle. The story of Samuel, 11 years old, who lives in Manaus, is also moving. He is passionate about books and has seen his house, built on stilts, washed away by flood waters.
Read the full review about the book in Rascunhos - O Jornal de Literatura do Brasil in the article " Book by Araquém Alcântara gives a voice to children from the Amazon "
The work was made available for free download in e-book and PDF format.
"Brazil: the only country in the world named after a tree."
Photos and Books by Araquém Alcântara on exclusive sale at The Resilient Store
Fineart Photographs
Araquém Alcântara's work is a love letter to Brazil.
Through his evocative images, he documents the beauty of the country's natural treasures, not just the landscapes and wildlife, but the human dimension of environmental issues, and inspires feelings of wonder and awe in viewers.
Amazon , Pantanal , Pampa , Caatinga , Atlantic Forest and Cerrado .
The 6 Brazilian biomes are in the images of Araquém.
In a world where socio-environmental issues are increasingly urgent, Alcântara's photographs provide not only a glimpse into the heart of Brazil, but also a mirror that reflects the challenges and possibilities of our shared world.
Photographs can be made in different Fineart Print sizes. The printing is made by the partner laboratory specialized in handling ArtPhoto, in São Paulo. The coherent consumer chooses between sustainable Hemp or Bamboo papers from the Naturals line from the century-old German company Hahnemühle. The shapes can be square or rectangular, and the sizes offered were designed to reduce the waste of scraps and edges. Printing is digital with less chemical residue. Shipping is done using 100% plastic-free packaging.
Photography: Sumaúma do Rio Negro, Amazon
Photography: Menino Karajá, Amazon
Photography: Içana River, Amazon
Photo Books
Pointed out by critics as one of the precursors of nature photography in Brazil, Araquém Alcântara is one of the most important photographers working in the country.
From the lush Amazon Rainforest to the extensive wetlands of the Pantanal, his photographs provide an intimate look at the intricate ecosystems and peoples that define Brazil.
He is the author of several acclaimed photographic books, which present his unique vision of Brazil and his commitment to environmental conservation. Among his best-known works are "Amazônia", "Brazil: The Land and the People" and "Pantanal: The Last Eden" . His work has been recognized internationally and has received numerous awards over the years.
His vast production includes 57 books on environmental topics, 22 co-authored books, 3 international awards, 32 national awards, 75 solo exhibitions, in addition to countless essays and reports for national and foreign newspapers and magazines.
He has photographs in the collections of several museums and galleries, including the International Coffee Museum in Kobe, Japan; the Georges Pompidou Cultural Center in Paris, France; the British Museum in London, England; the MASP - São Paulo Museum of Art and the MAM - São Paulo Museum of Modern Art. He was the first photographer to document all of Brazil's national parks.
