Lives Intertwined

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6An exploration of the interdependence and complex relationships among specific plants, animals, and insects in a Central American rain forest. The main focus is on the Morpho butterfly. Its caterpillar provides food for the larva of parasitic wasps and flies as well as birds. Adult butterflies feed on decomposing plants and animals and help spread the spores of fungi. One of its caterpillars' favorite foods, the Mucuna vine, relies on the wasps and flies to keep the caterpillars under control. The symbiotic relationship between Azteca ants and Cecropia trees shows that insects can be essential to the survival of a particular plant species. A large section is devoted to describing the many ways animals and insects protect themselves from predators. Only the final chapter mentions destruction of rain forests by humans and the catastrophic effect on the balance of nature. Many large, sharp, and colorful photographs show the creatures under discussion. The attractive layout includes many pages printed on a light green background with butterfly and caterpillar silhouettes gently highlighted. Jenny Wood's Rain Forests (Gareth Stevens, 1991), Lynn M. Stone's Rain Forests (Rourke, 1989), and Billy Goodman's The Rain Forest (Little, Brown, 1992) provide equally colorful, but more general overviews.Ann G. Brouse, Big Flats Branch Library, NY