What Do We Know About Rainforests?

School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-- Knapp chronicles how the delicate adaptations of plants and animals that have been part of these two habitats through the millenia are being destroyed, citing ignorance of natural conditions, unsuitable farming practices, and the desire for quick profits that is creating wastelands where communities once thrived. Captioned full-color photographs that supplement and illustrate the text appear on every page. Grasslands compares the destruction of the North American prairies by pioneers in the last century with that of the African Savannas today, whereas Horton's Grasslands (Watts, 1985, o.p.) is worldwide in scope. Although generally well written, both books have occasionally confusing statements. For instance, a caption in Rainforests reads, ``The great thickness of weathering is exploited by using bulldozers to make cuttings.'' Tropical Rain Forests (Lerner, 1991) by Mutel and Rodgers is comparable. --Meryl Silverstein, American Museum of Natural History, New York City

Carolyn Phelan

This colorful book from the Caring for Environments series surveys the location, terrain, ecology, and the importance of rain forests and discusses the traditional lives of their native peoples, the destruction of rain forests, and the outlook for the future. Each page balances text with excellent, full-color photographs. Captions offer specific information that enlarges on concepts covered in the text. An attractive introduction to a widely discussed subject.