Back to Bocas: Rodney’s Race Against Time

Series: Wild Adventures with Animal Friends  (Book 10)

Author: Zelda Lynn

Audience: Early readers, ages 6–11

Format: Paperback &  eBook

Length: ~64 pages

Setting:  Tropical rainforest on the islands of Bocas del Toro.  A hidden jungle research tent and lab.  Dense river trails and night-time rainforest. Mangrove maze near the coast. Branching stream paths to Isla Bastimentos, Isla Colón, Isla Solarte, and Isla Popa. 

Release / Publication Date:   May, 2025

Publisher: Zelda Lynn
ISBN / ASIN:    Paperback:  B0FB42RZFZ         eBook:  B0FB2BR7JC     

🐸 Rodney (Red Frog – Bastimentos)
Brave, impulsive, and full of heart, Rodney is captured by scientists and wakes up in a jungle lab. His determination to get back to Bastimentos sparks the escape—and the race against time.

🐸 Yasmin (Yellow Frog – Solarte)
Sun-bright and spirited, Yasmin refuses to accept life in a box. Her powerful jumps and quick thinking make her the first to break free from the containers.

🐸 Gordy (Green Frog – Colón)
Relaxed but strong, Gordy’s muscle and stubborn courage help pry lids, shove boxes, and keep the group moving—even when he’s tired or scared.

🐸 Bruce (Blue Frog – Popa)
Quiet and thoughtful, Bruce listens closely and notices important details, from the scent of streams to the sound of approaching danger.

🦥 Silva the Sloth
Slow and wise, Silva warns the frogs about Leim, the frog-eating snake, and points them toward the old river trail and safety—“Stay small. Stay together.”

🐍 Leim the Snake (Leimadophis)
Silent and relentless, Leim hunts frogs and isn’t afraid of bright warning colors, forcing the friends to rely on teamwork and clever distraction to escape.

🐻‍❄️ Kip the Kinkajou
Fast-talking and acrobatic, Kip knows every twisty trail and scent of the forest. At the stream fork, he helps each frog find the correct branch that leads back to their island.

👩‍🔬 Jungle Scientists
Curious humans studying “rare specimens” in a tented lab. They’re not cruel, but they don’t realize that the frogs have families, feelings, and homes they need to return to.

💚 Home, Identity & Belonging
Each frog carries “a little bit of home” in their colors and memories. Readers experience the powerful pull of home and the importance of belonging to a place and community.

🧠 Courage & Smart Risk-Taking
From the lab escape to the showdown with Leim, kids see that courage isn’t about ignoring fear, but about thinking clearly, acting together, and using what you know to stay safe.

🤝 Friendship & Sticking Together
The four frogs survive because they cooperate taking turns leading, distracting predators, and sharing clues. Even when they must split at the stream, their bond remains strong.

🌿 Conservation & Respect for Wildlife
Fun Facts about poison dart frogs, aposematic coloration, and predators like Leimadophisopen conversations about scientific study, ethical treatment of animals, and protecting habitats.

🌊 Habitats: Rainforest, Rivers & Mangroves
The story introduces rainforest layers, mangrove ecosystems, estuaries, and island habitats, showing how different environments connect and why they matter to the frogs’ survival.

😂 Learning with Humor
Each chapter includes Animal Fun Facts and Animal Jokes (like “croakabulary” and “bunny ribbit”), making science memorable and fun.

Back to Bocas: Rodney’s Race Against Time can be used to support:

🌱 Science & Nature

• Poison dart frogs: color, toxicity, and aposematism
• Food webs and predator–prey relationships (Leimadophis snake)
• Rainforests, mangroves, freshwater streams, and island ecosystems
• How human research can affect wildlife, both positively and negatively

💬 Social-Emotional Learning (SEL)

• Facing fear and uncertainty
• Coping with being taken from home
• Asking for help, accepting guidance, and trusting friends
• Saying goodbye and staying connected in spirit

🧠 Critical Thinking & Literacy

• Cause-and-effect (traps, choices, and consequences)
• Mapping the frogs’ route (lab → forest → Leim encounter → mangroves → stream fork → islands)
• Comparing Fun Facts with events in the story

Extension ideas:   

· Map the Bocas Journey:
Have students draw a simple map of the frogs’ route, labeling the lab, Silva’s forest, Leim’s clearing, mangrove maze, stream fork, and the four islands.

· Aposematic Art Project:
Let kids design their own bright “warning-colored” animals and discuss why bright colors might help in nature.

· Debate Prompt:
“Is it okay for scientists to catch wild animals for research?” Let students discuss before/after reading the story.

Q1. What age group is this book for?  

Back to Bocas: Rodney’s Race Against Time is ideal for early readers ages 6–11 and works wonderfully as a classroom or family read-aloud.

Q2.  Do I need to read the Wild Adventures series in order?
No.  Each Wild Adventures with Animal Friends story stands alone, but this book is especially fun for readers who already know about other animal heroes in the series.   

Q3. What will children learn from  Rodney’s adventure?  

Kids see courage, problem-solving, and friendship in action, while also learning about poison dart frogs, predators, rainforest and mangrove habitats, and the idea of home and belonging.

Q4. Which animals appear in this story?

Poison dart frogs from four islands, a sloth, a kinkajou, a frog-eating snake, birds, crabs, and many other rainforest and mangrove creatures in Panama’s Bocas del Toro region.

Q5. Does the book include fun facts and jokes? 

Yes!  Each chapter features Animal Fun Facts and Animal Jokes, helping kids remember science concepts while they laugh and read.

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