JOURNEY INTO THE RAINFOREST

Stunning photographs and descriptive text place readers right in the heart of the rainforest for a memorable journey that will leave them wanting more. Starting with what to wear and bring, this text stands out in that it even describes the process of getting to the rainforest—much more than a simple plane ride. In fact, the journey is part of the adventure. “You” are the traveler in this vibrant world—your guides the native peoples. With each stop, new plants and creatures await discovery. Readers will experience a thunderstorm, a flood, and the thrill of climbing a tree into the canopy—yet another world. This is where orchids grow, monkeys and parrots live, and frogs can spend their entire lives, depositing their eggs in the water collected in bromeliads. Each two-page spread takes the reader a little farther on the journey, while also focusing on one specific aspect of the rainforest—animal camouflage, survival, the forest floor. Knight also devotes one of these sections to the “Jigsaw Puzzle” that is the rainforest; all the pieces—the plants and animals—need to be in place to make the complete picture that is a healthy ecosystem. Knight’s descriptive text paints mental pictures, and the photographs are breathtaking. Pages cluttered with bits and pieces of text accompanying insets of smaller pictures and boxes tend to be busy, but clear type helps tone it down. Although it includes a glossary and index, this is much more than just the facts—it’s engrossing storytelling. (Nonfiction. 7-11)