JUNGLE RESCUE

Pedestrian, redundant writing and fuzzy focus undermine this effort from its first chapter (``This book is about lowland tropical moist forests...They grow in the tropics at low altitudes, as opposed to mountaintops, and are damp'') to its concluding plea for conservation (``Like a watchful lifeguard, we need to be aware that the rain forests are in trouble and heed their urgent cries for help''). There is a fair amount of information here, and some excellent recommendations, but this important topic deserves better organization and editing. Most of the photos are small and dark. A good book about efforts to save the rain forests is still urgently needed; meanwhile, this helps fill the gap. Glossary; further reading; list of organizations; index. (Nonfiction. 10-14)