Overview
Children will learn all about rain forests in this gorgeously illustrated easy reader by the team behind North Pole, South Pole, a Bank Street Children's Book of the Year.Gorillas, parrots, hissing cockroaches, and iguanas make their homes in rain forests, as do thousands of other kinds of animals, birds, insects, and reptiles. There are also many trees and plants in each of the two types of rain forests (tropical and temperate). Filled with important facts, this book also uses beautiful, labeled illustrations to show life in rain forests from all over the world, such as Brazil, Costa Rica, and the Pacific Northwest of North America.
Synopsis
Children will learn all about rain forests in this gorgeously illustrated easy reader by the team behind North Pole, South Pole, a Bank Street Children's Book of the Year.
Gorillas, parrots, hissing cockroaches, and iguanas make their homes in rain forests, as do thousands of other kinds of animals, birds, insects, and reptiles. There are also many trees and plants in each of the two types of rain forests (tropical and temperate). Filled with important facts, this book also uses beautiful, labeled illustrations to show life in rain forests from all over the world, such as Brazil, Costa Rica, and the Pacific Northwest of North America.
Children's Literature
There are two types of rain forests—those found near the equator, which are called tropical rain forests, and those in cooler places, called temperate rain forests. A map shows the location of ten major rain forests. For the tropical rain forests, there are pictures of the animals that can be found in various places around the world. The animals are identified, and young readers will have an opportunity to learn about quite a variety, from lowly leaf-cutter ants to lowland gorillas and many other animals along the way. In these forests, it is summer all the time, and rainfall can be up to 200 inches a year. These forests have four layers, each of which is described along with its typical inhabitants. Less time is spent looking at temperate rain forests, but they are smaller and not filled with quite the variety of animal life. Also, sunlight reaches down to the forest floor, which it does not do in the tropical rain forests. The last pages feature the inhabitants and the need to protect these ecosystems. The concluding pages summarize the major characteristics of each of the rain forest types. This very interesting and attractive book holds plenty of really good information. Reviewer: Marilyn Courtot
Editorials
Children's Literature -
There are two types of rain forests—those found near the equator, which are called tropical rain forests, and those in cooler places, called temperate rain forests. A map shows the location of ten major rain forests. For the tropical rain forests, there are pictures of the animals that can be found in various places around the world. The animals are identified, and young readers will have an opportunity to learn about quite a variety, from lowly leaf-cutter ants to lowland gorillas and many other animals along the way. In these forests, it is summer all the time, and rainfall can be up to 200 inches a year. These forests have four layers, each of which is described along with its typical inhabitants. Less time is spent looking at temperate rain forests, but they are smaller and not filled with quite the variety of animal life. Also, sunlight reaches down to the forest floor, which it does not do in the tropical rain forests. The last pages feature the inhabitants and the need to protect these ecosystems. The concluding pages summarize the major characteristics of each of the rain forest types. This very interesting and attractive book holds plenty of really good information. Reviewer: Marilyn CourtotSchool Library Journal
Gr 1-3- Levinson offers a straightforward, simple introduction to rain forests and some of the flora and fauna found there. Most of the book deals with tropical forests and the characteristics of each of their four layers. Hearn clearly identifies the locales of her illustrations and labels the plants and animals depicted. A few pages highlight the temperate rain forest of North America. The book concludes with brief mention of the negative impacts on these woodlands. It's a solid choice for libraries in need of an additional resource about a subject covered in many recent titles, including Linda Tagliaferro's Explore the Tropical Rain Forest (Capstone, 2007), but readers who want details about particular plants, animals, or specific forests will need to consult other sources.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato