Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
A North America Rain Forest Scrapbook
Nonfiction Picture Book
For ages 6 to 10
Walker, 2003 ISBN: 978-0802776518
We are going to join an artist when she goes on a trip to a North American rain forest which lies on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. These rain forests are unique, precious, and beautiful and they support ecosystems which cannot and do not exist anywhere else in the world. The trees that grow here are massive and very old and many creatures spend their entire lives in the thick canopies, never coming down to the shady mossy ground.
The artist notices that even the trees that have fallen to the ground have a part to play in the cycle of life in the rain forest and she paints snags which have died or been broken in storms. She paints the “Fairyland” of tiny plants which grow on the forest floor and marvels when she practically comes nose to nose with a massive banana slug, the largest of its kind on the North American Continent.
Presented in a scrapbook format, this beautiful picture book will inspire amateur naturalists of all ages. The author captures the fascination and beauty that lies in everything from the largest trees to the smallest little flower. She asks questions and looks for the answers and she shows her readers why these natural places are so precious and why we need to do all we can to preserve them. She helps us understand that that there are things that we can do to protect these forests, small things which will make a difference if we make a point of doing them on a daily basis.
