Books for Jungle-KIDS!
Children Rainforest Themed Books
The Great Kapok Tree by Lynne Cherry. One day, a man exhausts himself trying to chop down a giant kapok tree. While he sleeps, the forest’s residents, including a child from the Yanomamo tribe, whisper in his ear about the importance of trees and how “all living things depend on one another” . . . and it works. Cherry’s lovingly rendered colored pencil and watercolor drawings of all the “wondrous and rare animals” evoke the lush rain forests, and the stunning endpapers feature world maps bordered by tree porcupines, emerald tree boas, and dozens more fascinating creatures.
Amazon Diary by Hudson Talbott. As Alex, a sixth grader who is traveling to visit his anthropologist parents, his plane crashes and he and the injured pilot are taken to a village. As the boy waits for the pilot to recover, he gets to know the Yanomamis. His descriptions of his adventures gives readers a certain amount of information, including how the people hunt and the arrangement of their community. Full-color snapshots and illustrations show how the Yanomami exist from day to day. As Alex infers in his diary, they truly seem to be a people who exist entirely away from the modern world.
The Forever Forest: Kids Save a Tropical Treasure by Kristin Joy Pratt Serafini. This book tries to do a lot: tell the story of a boy Peter’s walk in a rainforest, provide readers with information about rainforest animals, and share a group of kids’ efforts to protect the rainforest by creating a rainforest preserve. While these three strands are not blended flawlessly, The Forever Forest is an inspiring read. Ages 5+
Rain Forests by Nancy Levinson and Diane Hearn. A well written, informative introduction to rainforests. Diane Hearn’s gorgeous, detailed illustrations of various tropical and temperate rainforests show children that rainforests vary by location. Ages 4+
The Rainforest Grew All Around by Susan Mitchell and Connie McLellan. A cumulative rhyme and adaptation of the song The Green Grass Grew All Around. The Rainforest Grew All Around is a fun read aloud. At the back of the book, there is a recipe for rainforest cookies, made with ingredients that initially came from rainforests. Ages 3+
The Shaman's Apprentice by Lynn Cherry. For thousands of years, in the jungles of the Amazon, shamans have passed their wisdom of the medicinal values of rain forest plants from one generation to the next. The Shaman's Apprentice tells the story of a Tirio Indian boy who dreams of one day being the tribal shaman, and how he and his people learn the importance of their own knowledge about the healing properties of the rain forest.
A Giant Tree In The Rainforest by Sally Morgan. Zoom in on a habitat and see who lives there!
A Walk In The Rainforest by Kristin Joy Pratt. Each Letter of the alphabet represnts a plant or animal in the rainforest, providing ecological information and warnings about the endangered species, deforestation, and the effects on the natives.
Mrs. Parrot's Rainforest Lessons by Michael Cox. Join Mrs. Parrot and her class' trip to the rainforest.
Rainforest Anaimals by Paul Hess. Features an amasing verse for each rainforest anaimal.
The Magic School Bus
Afternoon on the Amazon by Mary Pope Osborne. Jack and Annie are ready for their next fantasy adventure in the bestselling series—the Magic Tree House! Vampire bats and killer ants? That's what Jack and Annie are about to run into when the Magic Tree House whisks them away to the Amazon River. It's not long before they get hopelessly lost. Will they be able to find their way back to the tree house? Or are Jack and Annie stuck forever in the rain forest?
Rain Forests: Magic Tree House Research Guide by Mary Pope Osborne tracks the facts with Jack and Annie! When Jack and Annie got back from their adventure in Magic Tree House #5: Afternoon on the Amazon, they had lots of questions. Filled with up-to-date information, photos, illustrations, and fun tidbits from Jack and Annie.