Rain Forests: Informational Book

The book Rain Forests by Nancy Smiler Levinson and illustrated by Diane Dawson Hearn, is full of fact based information over the animals, bugs, tress, and even the people of the rain forest. The illustrations in the book all of the names of the animals, insects, and even the plants next to them. This is beneficial because the students can see the names of the different wildlife and have an image to connect it with right away. The text on the pages is large and very simple. The book begins with a basic description of rain forests in general and a map of all of the rain forests in the world. The book then breaks the over all topic of rain forests down to specific ones. The first one is the tropical rain forest and the pictures on each page are from different location and the locations are given. The first pictures of wild life are from the Peruvian Amazon, the second is the Brazilian Amazon, and the third is Costa Rica. The book even shows the different animals that live in the different levels of the rain forest from the ground floor to the tops of the tress. One page is of the animals that come out at night in the tropical rain forest. The other type of rain forest is the temperate rain forest which are found in the pacific northwest. There are only two pages on the temperate rain forest before the book moves to the indigenous people that live in the different areas of the rain forest. It also briefly touches on the fact that the rain forests are slowly disappearing and how there are many people working to try and save the rain forests. The last two pages compare and contrast the tropical and temperate rain forests.

This book has many different educational values. It can be read and explored during circle time and be a resource during different activities. The compare and contrast pages can be used to work on a venn diagram with the class; the students are given the information and they can work together to figure out where it belongs in a venn diagram. The students can work on geopraphy with this book and work with maps to locate the different places rain forests exist. The animals given can be reasurched and the class can come up with a list of indangered animals that live in the rain forests. Recycling can be introduced and the class can learn about what they can do to help the rain forest and the enviornment. There are many more things that can be done in a classroom based and supported by this book. A whole theme can be created about rain forests that they class can focus on for a week or so. I did not find any awards for this book but there are lesson plan ideas online based off of this book. I liked this book becuase there are so many different ways it can be used in a classroom. It provides good images for the students to enjoy and the information prvided is really good. I have trouble finding informational books that children will enjoy reading and working with, but I think this book is something that provides interesting information in an enjoyable manner.
At http://vodpod.com/watch/2258927-rain-forests-by-nancy-smiler-levinson there is a video that a class can watch to make the book a bit more interactive.

Levinson, Nancy (2008). Rain Forests. New Your, NY: Holiday House.