3 Weeks in the Rainforest: A Rapid Inventory in the Amazon -- Jennifer Swanson, Hardcover

A women-led team of scientists protect the Amazon rainforest from destruction as readers get a firsthand account of real-life fieldwork in action.

A compelling, nonfiction, photo-illustrated STEM read for 8-12-year-olds who aspire to be future scientists, environmentalists, and conservationists!

Over 22 years, a team of scientists from the Field Museum in Chicago has helped conserve 28.9 million acres of the Amazon rainforest. Follow the team as they race to gather data over three precious weeks in the field.

During rapid inventory, information is gathered in two ways:

• Biologists trek through mud and rain and count every animal and plant they see, recording everything that flies, swims, crawls, slithers, or walks. They then look at key plant and animal groups to assess the health of the ecosystem.

• Social scientists visit villages, speaking with local people about their desires and goals for the land, as each community has developed its own way of taking care of its environment.

The team then makes a compelling, evidence-based case for conservation.

Developed in partnership with the Field Museum, this action-packed book focuses on Rapid Inventory 30, which is conducted in Colombia with the help of local and Indigenous scientists and community members.

Photographs from the scientists themselves give readers a glimpse into real-life fieldwork in the Amazon that will captivate STEM readers and the next generation of scientists.

Author: Jennifer Swanson
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
Published: 10/14/2025
Pages: 80
Binding Type: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781623543167
Audience: Ages 9-12

About the Author
Jennifer Swanson is a science teacher and the award-winning author of more than fifty-five nonfiction books for children, including Super Gear: Nanotechnology and Sports Team Up; Brain Games; Save the Crash-Test Dummies; and Footprints Across the Planet. An accomplished and dynamic speaker, Jennifer has presented at national NSTA conferences, the World Science Festival, and the Library of Congress's National Book Festival. She is also the founder of KidLiteracy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving STEM literacy.