The Amazon rainforest is the foremost and central motif in The Explorer. It is the setting of the entire novel and, through personification, at times becomes a character in its own right. The rainforest is a unique challenge filled with endless surprises and shocking twists, and the children’s Perseverance and the Drive to Survive are what allow them to get through it alive. At the same time, they develop a strong appreciation and respect for the jungle that could have killed them, but which also sustained them in a time of great need: “The honey worked on them like medicine. Lila sat up straighter Color came into Con’s cheeks. The taste of the honey was absolutely astonishing: sweet and earthy and wild” (114).

Imagery of the jungle is strong and consistent, emphasizing its beauty, power, and mystique: “[U]nderneath, the earth was soft and dusty; it smelled of a thousand warm days, layered one over the other” (26). Fred is immediately taken by the jungle and the prospect of exploring it, and he dives into new experiences like swimming in the Amazon River or building a raft.