Rainforest

The rainforest. A unique location on our planet that is simply teeming with life; so much so that a significant population of flora and fauna exist solely within this terrestrial zone. In Julia Groves’s picture book on the rainforest, each animal unique to this equatorial region gets a full-color page spread in their natural environment. The colors burst off the page with the vibrant artwork and colors, with large illustrations of each animal. The familiar along with the lesser-known are all collected here together: coati, toucan, howler monkey, sloth, jaguar, and fruit bat, to name some.

Each double-page spread is full of life and detail, immediately grasping the reader’s attention. The writing is the weak point of the book, as the single sentences on each page are at times vague, seemingly pointless, and don’t actually tell you what the animal is. There is a detailed description of each animal in the back of the book to help with this, but ultimately, it’s not an ideal picture book for toddlers as they quickly lose interest, so it’s ideal for older kids.