She explored the vast forest around Lovejoy's research site, part of his famous 'forest fragments' project, and sketched and photographed the plants and animals there.

Brian Boom, the director of the NY Botanical Garden, facilitated her travel to Manaus Brazil to experience the rainforest firsthand. Lovejoy and other WWF biologists, and Dr. World Wildlife Fund Cherry also immersed herself in the 'tropical forest' in the NY Botanical garden New York Botanical Garden. Tom Lovejoy, then at World Wildlife Fund, gave Cherry an artist in residency at WWF and he and the other scientists there provided her with their rain forest photographs to use as reference. She was attending graduate school at Yale University at the time and she wrote The Great Kapok Tree while on a train ride between New Haven and DC. In 1989, Lynne Cherry learned about the plight of the Amazon rainforest and thought that maybe young people could help to save it. (The young readers of the book let out sighs of relief!) Will he follow the big man's orders or follow his own conscience? He considers what the animals have told him, and decides to leave the tree standing, dropping his axe and departing from the rainforest a changed man. There is the tension in the story as he decides what to do. He picks up his axe and the word of the rainforest creatures echo through his mind. The man wakes up and sees the beauty of the rainforest. They explain not only their dependence on the tree, but also the importance of the tree to the world. While he sleeps, the many species of animals that live in the tree (including frogs, snakes, sloths, birds, anteaters and monkeys) come down to speak to him.

Lulled by 'the heat and hum of the forest' the other woodcutter falls asleep beneath the Great Kapok Tree. They stop beside a fine Ceiba tree and the larger man points to the tree and leaves. Two woodcutters go to the Amazon rainforest. The book is dedicated to Chico Mendes, a Brazilian rubber tapper trying to protect the rainforests, who was murdered in 1988. It was written and illustrated by Lynne Cherry and was originally published by Harcourt Brace Jovanovich in 1990.

The Great Kapok Tree is an American children's picture book about rainforest conservation. Base of a colossal specimen of the kapok tree Ceiba pentandra, with two individuals seated on its buttress roots to indicate scale

The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry