Rain Forests: A Nonfiction Companion to Afternoon on the Amazon (Magic Tree House Research Guide Series) »

Mary Pope Osborne has channeled a lifelong love of exploration and travel into one of the most popular children s book series of the past two decades. With her fantastic Magic Tree House series, Mary Pope Osborne keeps the good times rolling for kids all over the world.

What is the strangest plant in the rain forest? Which rain forest animal is the creepiest? What medicines have been discovered there? How can we save our rain forests? Find out the answers to these questions and more in Magic Tree House Research Guide: Rain Forests, Jack and Annie’s very own guide to the mysteries of the rain forest. Includes information on rain forests around the world; fun facts about rain-forest bugs, birds, plants, and animals; maps and photographs; and much more!

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-In this companion to Afternoon on the Amazon (Random, 1995), Jack and Annie encourage readers to undertake their own research related to the rain forest, and that is excellent advice. With the number of full-color, larger-format titles available on the topic, it is hard to justify sticking with the brief introduction and small, black-and-white photos this book offers. Drawings of the children appear somewhere on almost every page, and perhaps their die-hard fans will slog along to keep them in view. However, the book doesn't even provide detailed information on some plants and animals that play an important role in the fictional adventure. For example, the frightening vampire bats and piranhas the children encounter are barely mentioned. The mango, which is the item they need to bring back from their adventure, isn't even included in this title. Tips for research and lists of books, museums, videos, and Web sites could be useful, but it's hard to recommend purchasing a resource that lacks the attributes necessary to do its own subject justice.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.