Here Is the Tropical Rain Forest

by Madeleine Dunphy, Michael Rothman (Illustrator)

Overview

Using cumulative verse, this colorful picture book introduces children to the swinging monkeys, upside-down-hanging sloths, graceful caimans and stalking jaguars that make up the Amazon rainforest, while giving young readers an understanding of the interdependency of life.

Exotic environments like the tropical rain forest have long held a fascination for young readers. Through singsong text, kids will discover how all living things in the rain forest rely on one another for their existence, and that when one of these animals or plants is killed off or goes extinct, the web of life is broken. Luminous paintings by Michael Rothman capture the untamed beauty of this timeless, endangered environment. This book is a must have for any young naturalist (ages 3-8) hoping to learn about how all life is connected in the natural world.

Other Books in the Series: HERE IS ANTARCTICA, HERE IS THE AFRICAN SAVANNA, HERE IS THE ARCTIC WINTER, HERE IS THE CORAL REEF, HERE IS THE SOUTHWESTERN DESERT and HERE IS THE WETLAND. Free downloadable activities can be found on the publisher's website.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780977379507
Publisher:	Web of Life Children's Books
Publication date:	03/13/2006
Series:	Web of Life , #1
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,115,731
Product dimensions:	8.38(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)
Lexile:	BR (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 - 8 Years

About the Author

Madeleine Dunphy is an educational consultant who teaches children about endangered environments. She has studied and visited many of the world’s ecosystems, and was inspired to write books about our world’s great diversity of life. She lives in Oakland, California with her husband, Chris, and their daughter, Gwendolyn. For more information about Madeleine, her books, and her school presentations visit www.mdunphy.com.

Michael Rothman is a noted natural science illustrator whose work has appeared in the science section of the New York Times, among other publications. His beautiful illustrations have graced the pages of Madeleine Dunphy's At Home with the Gopher Tortoise: The Story of a Keystone Species, Jaguar in the Rain Forest, by Joanne Ryder, and Inside the Amazing Amazon, by Don Lessem. Michael lives in Ridgefield, Connecticut. To find out more about his work, visit his website at www.michaelrothman.com.

Editorial Reviews

K-Gr 1-This cumulative tale starts in the rain forest, adds creatures great and small, and ends with the rain that fills the rivers. Rothman's lovely illustrations, done in the lush greens of the wet tropics, accompany the sing-song verses that mimic ``The House that Jack Built.'' Although the format is meant to reinforce the interdependence of life in these special areas of the world, the rhymes have mainly to do with hunting and stalking and do not really show the ecological balance of these areas. The last page names some of the animals shown in the text and suggests that the National Wildlife Federation be contacted in order to help save these threatened lands. As a picture book, this title serves to illustrate some of the rain forest's creatures and to acquaint children with this important part of the world, but it does not provide much factual information.-Eva Elisabeth Von Ancken, Trinity Pawling School, NY

School Library Journal

Named an "Outstanding Science Trade Book" by the National Science Teacher's Association and Children's Book Council

“Both the pictures and language are worthy of note . . . The words read aloud with a distinct rhythm, and Rothman’s artwork, in a palette of subdued greens and browns, shows readers the connectedness of plants and animals. . .” — Booklist

“Children will be drawn into this exotic world by both the rhythmical text and the lush illustrations that fill the pages.” — Language Arts

“The exceptionally realistic and lush color drawings of Michael Rothman help this stand apart from the usual tropical rain forest considerations, making it a fine introduction with simple yet appealing descriptions and fine visuals.”— Midwest Book Review

“This cumulative tale starts in the rain forest, adds creatures great and small, and ends with the rain that fills the rivers. Rothman’s lovely illustrations, done in the lush greens of the wet tropics, accompany the sing-song verses. . . . As a picture book, this title serves to illustrate some of the rain forest’s creatures and to acquaint children with this important part of the world . . . .” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher