574.5

Prowl through the undergrowth and meet the amazing creatures that lurk there.

Summary: This children's informational text is all about rainforests and the many species of plants and animals that inhabit this zone. It discusses the forest and tree layers and the animals that live in each layer. The book also discusses camouflage and how animals hunt and search for food.

Argument: This informational text was a good read for children for many reasons. First, I enjoyed the pictures and images on every page. Each page is filled with colorful and real pictures of different animal species that may be found in the rainforests. Children love animals and being able to see a variety of species, some which they may have never seen before, is exciting and encourages them to research and learn about the rainforest even more. The second reason I like this book is for the "Forest Facts" that are on each page. These facts give children a little extra something to look forward to on each page and keep them engaged as a reader. For example, on page 17 it says, " Many of our medicines contain ingredients taken from rainforest plants". The last reason I enjoyed this book was for its variety of fun, educational activities that can be found in the back of the book. There is a "Who Am I?" section that gives a close up picture of an animal and the reader has to guess from a list of clues. There is an ant colony maze with facts at each checkpoint. There also is a fact match-up section where the reader matches the animal to the fact, as well as a true and false section. This book is loaded with fun content-related materials for children.
The main theme of this book is to teach children of the various aspects of the rainforest and its many species and hidden treasures. It also strives to assess children on what they read through a variety of fun activities in the back of the text. ( )