Amazing Animals of the Rainforest »

Rainforests take up about 6 percent of Earth's surface, but are home to about one-third of the world's plants-and more than half the world's animals! This is the stage for some of the most amazing wildlife on Planet Earth. From the waters of the mangrove forests to the canopy of the Amazon, this book explores the rainforest layer-by-layer, detailing the animals that inhabit each space. Packed with facts and photos, it's the perfect introduction to this complex habitat.

Children's Literature

Facts and photos fill this forty-eight-page book which provides an excellent introduction to rainforests. "A rainforest is a tropical forest, usually of tall, densely growing evergreen trees in an area of high annual rainfall," explains author Tracey West. The book goes on to describe the five types of rainforests: lowland tropical forest, tropical deciduous forest, flooded forest, tropical mountain forest, and mangrove forest. Next, West gives information about each of the five layers of a rainforest and the animals that inhabit each layer. Since rainforests are home to approximately one half of all of the world's animals, this section takes up thirty-five of the book's forty-eight pages. Featured animals include the Sumatran tiger, the Goliath bird-eating tarantula, the jaguar, the brown howler money, the ruby-throated hummingbird, and the monkey-eating eagle. West also includes maps of the rainforests in the world, ranging from the world's largest rainforest (the Amazon) to the world's oldest rainforest (in Southeast Asia). In the book's appendix, there is a glossary of fourteen terms. Part of the "Planet Earth Scrapbook" series, the book concludes with "Protect Planet Earth Tips." Reviewer: Lynn O'Connell