The American Jungle.

The American Jungle

By Harvey E. Oyer III

The Last Egret

By Harvey E. Oyer III

Winner of the President's Book Award by the Florida Publishers Association, The American Jungle introduces children to Charlie Pierce, an eight-year-old boy living in the frontier jungles of South Florida in 1872. The book's events are based on the real life experiences of author and Florida Bar member Harvey Oyer's great-great uncle, for whom the title character was named. Oyer used Pierce's diaries to write much of The American Jungle and its sequel, The Last Egret.

Pierce and his family made the journey down to Florida after the Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed every boat in the Chicago boatyard except theirs. The Pierce family traveled along the Illinois and Mississippi rivers before reaching Jacksonville. The American Jungle begins with the Pierces' arrival in Ft. Pierce and the Atlantic coast in 1872.

Both of Oyer's books have garnered attention from reviewers and educators; the Palm Beach school district has assigned the books as required reading and developed curriculum...