Synopsis
Examines the physical characteristics and behavior of various animals found in the rain forest, including monkeys, jungle cats, and frogs.
Children's Literature
In describing the rainforests around the globe, this title attempts to generalize about the animal groups living in the rainforests in Central and South America, Africa and Southeast Asia. While this helps discuss similarities efficiently, it makes it difficult for a child researcher to understand differences. It also makes specific information about a country hard to dig out and leaves readers uncertain that information about a particular country applies equally to others. Is a capybara or a quetzal found around the globe? This volume is introduced with a quick discussion of the rainforest "layers" and moves on to discuss animal groups, such as monkeys, jungle cats, bat, snakes birds, frogs and lizards and water animals. The index does not include specific animals (tapir, quetzal, tamarin), which makes it difficult for research. Text faces color photographs of recent vintage. Barbara Taylor's Look Closer provides more specific information and more compelling photographs. A glossary includes words specific to rainforests but many others (grasp, common, skill) are more generic. Endmatter includes four Internet sites and an index. Part of the "Checkerboard Rain Forest" series. 1999, ABDO Publishing, $19.92. Ages 8 to 11. Reviewer: Susan Hepler