Rain Forest

Children's Literature

As the sun rises, steam blooms from the canopy. Noises and movement abound. What is this mysterious place where over half of the world's animals live? The rain forest, while covering only a small portion of the earth, is pivotal to the existence of animals and man. Using an information "hit-and-run" style, Fiona Macdonald treats the reader to an excellent introduction to the world of the rain forest. By giving small paragraphs of facts and information Ms. Macdonald does not allow the reader to get bogged down in text but rather entices the reader to learn more about this amazing world. Included in the information are various projects and games to play. These activities allow students to see more readily how we are influenced by this mysterious world. A glossary in the back proves useful for clarifying terms. The images provided both as drawings and photographs give this part of the "Topic Books" series a tremendous amount of color. 2000 (orig. 1999), Franklin Watts, and $7.00. Ages 4 to 10. Reviewer: John D. Orsborn