Rain Forests

March 1, 2002
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 2002 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2002
The information in this slim volume is well organized and interesting, but the format doesn't do justice to the topic. The numerous black-and-white drawings and poor-quality photos fail to provide an adequate picture of the lush rainforest environment. Even so, due to an accessible writing style and the series' popularity, the book offers an adequate introduction to the rainforest. A list of resources is appended. Ind.

(Copyright 2002 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)