Rain Forest Update
RSSGrace Oliff -- School Library Journal, 09/22/2009
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The incredible diversity of plant and animal life found in the rain forest is downright mind-boggling, and even those who have devoted their lives to studying this biome know they will never learn everything about it. The veritable wealth of information on the subject can prove challenging to those authoring books for children. How do you explain and inform without overwhelming readers? How do you present the facts and also capture the wonder and beauty of this distinct environment? The following recently published titles all succeed, albeit in different ways, in accomplishing these goals.
The standout here is Richard C. Vogt’s Insiders: Rain Forests (S & S, 2009; Gr. 3-7). With its huge, red-eyed tree frog leaping off the cover, children are sure to pick up this book, and they won't be disappointed when they do. The first page is part of a vertical spread that delineates the layers of the rain forest with circular inserts that enlarge and explain flora or fauna characteristic of a particular layer. This attention to detail is carried throughout the book, as the author addresses the plants and animals that make this biome their home. Vogt also discusses the various threats confronting rain forests around the world and the serious environmental damage being caused by their destruction. (One particular spread makes this point quite forcefully.) Browsers will be happily occupied for hours perusing this book. Researchers will find both a well-organized table of contents and an index to guide them.
Richard Sobol’s Breakfast in the Rainforest: A Visit with Mountain Gorillas (Candlewick, 2008; Gr. 2-5) describes the author’s quest to photograph the world’s few remaining mountain gorillas. He details his preparations for his trip to Uganda and his experiences tracking the primates with the help of rangers in the Bwindi Impenetrable National Park. The suspense builds until, at last, the author spies a female gorilla foraging for branches to chew. Sobol’s skill as a photographer is evident; despite the difficulties presented by thick brush and uncooperative subjects, his pictures capture the beauty of these remarkable creatures. Sobol’s language is also quite evocative: “As I listen to the clattering of the rainfall, I wonder if there is any other place on earth where the survival of a single species is linked together in an area the size of a lone storm cloud.” An afterword by Leonardo DiCaprio further describes the threats facing these animals.
Lauri Berkenkamp’s Discover the Amazon: The World’s Largest Rainforest (Nomad, 2008; Gr. 3-8) will be a hit with children attracted to television "survivor" series. Each page is packed with information about the Amazon and tropical rain forests, “fascinating facts,” and “words to know.” The focus here is on survival skills—how to find your way if lost, how locate water and food, and how to prepare to spend the night outdoors—and Berkenkamp does not mince words when describing the consequences of mistakes. The book features Blair Shield’s green-and-brown pencil sketches, as well as maps and photos.
Both Susan K. Mitchell’s The Rainforest Grew All Around (Sylvan Dell, 2007; Gr. K-3) and Marianne Berkes’s Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme (Dawn, 2007; Gr. K-3) use familiar, traditional songs as their frameworks. Mitchell’s book has a two-tiered text; the first part presents the cumulative song, the second part provides a brief fact or two. Berkes’s offering focuses more on animal life, with an aspect of each creature’s behavior or their vocalization becoming part of the song. Connie McLennan’s nicely executed watercolors populate the first title, while Jeanette Canyon's richly textured polymer clay images illustrate Jungle. Both books lend themselves to group sharing and invite active participation.
The Children’s Eternal Rainforest in Costa Rica owes its preservation to a group of school children from Sweden and their fundraising efforts to purchase and protect the forest. Word of their project spread and eventually children in 44 countries were contributing to the fund. Kristin Joy Pratt-Serafini and Rachel Crandell’s The Forever Forest: Kids Save a Tropical Treasure (Dawn, 2008; Gr. 2-4) imagines a young boy from Sweden visiting the rain forest with his mother, only to discover that she was one of the members of the original second-grade sponsoring class. Peter’s explorations with his parent are detailed in horizontal text boxes; information about the species they observe is found in vertical panels. From these panels cartoon figures of the mother and her son peer into Pratt-Serafini’s colorful jungle scenes. The fact that children played such a important role in saving this rain forest may inspire others to investigate conservation projects.
Nancy Smiler Levinson’s Rain Forests (Holiday House, 2008; Gr. K-2) is a good introduction to the ecosystem for beginning readers. The straightforward text provides information on and illustrations of both the flora and fauna. Children will delight in Diane Dawson Hearn’s acrylic paintings; they are neatly labeled and rich in color and detail, and her animals appear to peek out at the readers.
Rain forests are precious and fascinating biomes. These books will help children appreciate these remarkable ecosystems and understand the need to protect and preserve them.
