The jungle is a jungle here, due to the mismatch of a text that mentions many plants and animals to illustrations that show only some and identify none. (In the most extreme instance, a description of a tropical storm is accompanied by a delightful image of a frog on a leaf, presumably afterward.) Some times, too, the evocative prose overreaches: ""Pale trunks disappear into the shadows above, like pagan ghosts trailing robes of green."" (Italics ours) The mixed-media compositions are strikingly designed and skillfully executed; they should interest art-conscious adults but the book has nothing but confusion for children.