Rain Forests

By Richard C. Vogt

Book Overview

Discover Rain Forests INsiders brings rain forests to life, with the most up-to-date information and state-of-the-art 3-D illustrations that practically leap off every page, stimulating minds and imaginations in a whole new way.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1416938664
• ISBN13: 9781416938668
• Release Date: March 2009
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
• Length: 64 Pages
• Weight: 1.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 9.5" x 10.5"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

The next step in "How it Works" type books

We've seen a lot of the "How it Works" style books, which use large pages filled with lots of color photography to illustrate various topics. This book, and indeed the whole Insiders series, is probably the best in that category. The designers use a combination of quality photography with even better photo-realistic illustrations to show scenes that photos alone could never penetrate. Some examples: A photo captures a red bromeliad plant perched on a branch high in a rain forest canopy. Illustrations show what is happening inside the plant, where two gallons of water play host to tadpoles and insects and their larvae, which are eaten by mouse opossoms, which are eaten by eyelash vipers. Try capturing that in one photo! Another spread called "Damp Floor" illustrates the dark beauty of the forest floor ecosystem. Fungi (many kinds!), centipedes, termites, snakes, other living things and the litter from dead plants and animals make up a complex system that produces nutrients for the living plants and many other benefits. I highlight this page because it is this entire system that is plowed away when rain forests are converted to grassland for cattle grazing. An understated favorite spread is "Running River," which shows a slice of the Sepic River in Papua New Guinea. Birds, crocodiles, fish and plants are shown in situ. What I like is a sidebar about an introduced weed that nearly choked the river, and an introduced weevil that was used to clear it. I just wish there was a bit more about the perils of introducing foreign species in the first place! The risks to the fragile rain forest ecosystem are illustrated clearly and unemotionally. Spreads like "Felling the Forests" and "Past, Present, Future" tell that sad story with facts, photos and illustrations. The book as a whole does a great job of showing the beauty of the rain forest, although it could be a bit more explicit about why losing them is bad for everyone. Because the book succeeds at its primary goal, illustrating the complex rain rain forest ecosystem gloriously, I'm not deducting any stars for my minor criticisms. We've only read this book and "Inventions" from the "Insiders" series, but both are spectacular. Highly recommended for kids, even more so for libraries (very solid hardback binding.) Enjoy!

Beautiful and Informative

This is a wonderful book for children (and adults!!). It is beautiful and informative, covering most of the questions any child would have about rain forests. The illustrations are fantastic and appear to be enhanced through the use of computer graphics which most children respond to quite well. The illustration have a realistic and movie-like quality to them. There are chapters on the different layers of the rain forests including the bottom and the top, rivers and how the history of the rain forest is revealed to us through its layers. The chapter on plants has beautiful pictures of varied plants, information on reproduction and the interaction of birds and insects with plant life. Issues of ecology are included in the chapter on 'felling the forests' and 'rain forest bounty'. I was very impressed by the sections about medicines that are found in rain forests and the process of photosynthesis. The chapters on animals are fascinating and beautiful to view. I can't think of any child (or adult!!) who would not be fascinated by the pictures of bats, the emerald colors of birds, the armies of insects and the frog life. I read some of the sections more than once - both to look at the pictures again and to pick up some extra information. Did you know, for instance, that a King Vulture is 500 times bigger than a Hermit Hummingbird? The chapters all have thematic consistency. Chapters on geology and plant life deal with the three-dimensional ecology of rain forests. All chapters have close-up and regular photo/drawings. Because the rain forests are so huge geographically, the animal chapters have maps to show where each of the animals dwell. All the chapters deal with the present, past, and future, environmental concerns, and differences in rain forests around the world. There is specific and general information in each chapter. I think that every child from about age 7 through 14 would love this book, each age for a different reason. Younger children will love the pictures and will have fun as adults tell stories about aspects of each chapter. Older children will be able to ask more questions on their own and interact with adults about the book. All in all, I give this book an unequivocal '5+'.

Great Pictures, Interesting Text!

I love books like this--and more importantly, so does my son! The layout of each page is visually interesting with usually one main image and several smaller ones that illustrate the information in the text. The pictures are great and the text is interesting. The reading level seems appropriate for ages 9 - 12, but it could also be read to much younger children. This is the perfect book for those long car rides!

A kids encyclopedia of the rain forest

from what lives below to what flys above, this is a mini encyclopedia of the rain forest. I know the cover makes it look like a story book -- but this is a book my 7 year old keeps picking up. He goes through about one page at a time, and given how dense the pages are -- that makes sense. The drawings are beautiful too.

Bringing Rain Forests Home

Is your young reader interested in learning about what makes rain forests unique? Would you like to introduce them to exotic species like Honduran White Bats or Sepik Rainbowfish? Would they like to know that the saltwater crocodile has specialized glands in their tongue that dispose of any extra salt they encouter in their environment? This book is an invitation to explore the world that is sure to inspire curiosity and learning in your child or student. The Insider series of books uses bright, crisp illustrations and photographs, and this installation to the series is no exception. There are landscape oriented pages that decipher the layers of the rain forest, frogs, Strangler Figs, roots and leaves and more. There is a Glossary and Index included. This hardcover book breaks down the specific layers of the rain forest, and how they function in union with the other layers. This book also tackles the "big picture" issues like deforestation and endangered species of animals and plants. Readers are told that the choice is in their hands about what happens in the future with rain forests. This is an excellent addition to your home or school library, that is sure to incite curiosity and inspire exploration.