A Walk Through the Rain Forest

If one could visit a rainforest, what would one find? One would find more varieties of both animals and plants than in any other place on Earth: “seven kinds of wild cats, six kinds of pheasants, twelve kinds of pigeons, at least fourteen kinds of squirrels, sixty-six kinds of frogs (more or less),” etc.

Each spread has an illustration by Vicky White that can easily be mistaken for a photograph (most in black and white but some with color) covering a full page or a page and a half with text explaining what is shown. Occasionally, there are illustrations filling the entire spread. The text is friendly and conversational, but the research and expertise of author Martin Jenkins shine through.

Young readers will be fascinated by all the interesting information presented here about all the different animals and plants found in these amazing places. Great back-matter addresses the problems facing rainforests today, from clear-cutting to making room for grazing and farming. There are also four pages of color drawings of birds, insects, mammals, frogs, and reptiles native to rainforests.

This is a book that should be in every elementary classroom and library.