I am torn on this one.

It’s not specifically anti-missionary but I feel like..it is there.

It’s not specifically anti-Christianity, but I feel like it could be read that way.

With that glowing recommendation, I do feel like this is a possible springboard into exploring herb lore, alternative medicine, and an anti big pharma discussion. ( )

The Shaman's Apprentice is the story of an Amazonian tribe and a boy within. The Tirio Shaman saves a child using nature, and that boy grows up wanting to do the same. Colonizers come, bringing an illness that the shaman is unable to cure, and soon, more Caucasians arrive with a little white pill that cures them. Now, the Tirio tribe reject natural medicine, believing that the science the colonizers bring is much better. Later, a girl named Gabriella visits the tribe to learn from the Shaman, giving them the shocking news that the pill that saved them was derived from tree bark. Faith is restored in mother nature, and the boy grows up to replace the Shaman when he dies.

This is an amazing story about history, medicine, religion, and nature. It is about faith in tradition, yet enjoying learning something new. It is quite wordy, but a good story with large, picturesque scenes. It could relate to Social Studies due to its ties in culture and history. ( )

This book tells the story of a young male in the Amazon Rain Forest and the tales of the Shaman who saved his life. I found that this book is beneficial for students to realize that not all lives are like their own, that there are wonderful stories and tales about other cultures. This story allows for cultural differences to be added into a classroom. This book is a phenomenal tale that comes to life when being read. ( )

For thousands of years, in the jungles of the Amazon, Shamans have passed on their wisdom of the medicinal values of rain forest plants rom one generation to the next. This story is about a Tirio Indian boy who dreams of one day being the tribal shaman, and how he and his people learn the importance of their own knowledge about the healing properties of the rain forest. Based on a true story!

This captivating picture book discusses the cultural relevance and scientific accuracy of indigenous knowledge, along with its practical applications in modern medicine. The front and back covers of the book show sketches and depictions of medicinal plants from the rainforest, along with detailing their psychological and spiritual uses. The book also discusses European encroachment on traditional native lands and the effects of the European presence on traditional ways of life, value systems, and beliefs. This book encourages intercultural exchange and promotes positive and reciprocal relations between developed and developing nations, along with supporting better understandings and further respect between "civilized" and "primitive" peoples and cultures. This book also discusses the significance and power of the shaman in indigenous cultures, along with the importance of apprenticeships in order to pass on and inherit a cultural legacy of traditional knowledge.