Journey to the rainforest

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Journey into the Rainforest is an adventurous journey through the most magical place on earth. We explore the whole of the forest, from its floor up to the canopy and beyond. Tropical rainforests are the home of millions of strange and beautiful plants and animals - these are captured here in stunning wildlife photography, accompanied by lively text. Tim Knight has lived in the rainforests of South-East Asia, working on nature conservation projects. He regularly lectures in schools, leads youth expeditions and raises funds for the conservation of rainforest wildlife.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Publishers Weekly Review

Presented like a travelogue, the opening pages of Tim Knight's oversize book, Journey into the Rainforest, with photos by Juan Pablo Moreiras and Tim Knight, teaches travelers what to wear and what to expect. A "Map of the Journey" follows, and photographs capture a lush landscape filled with mangrove swamps, waterfalls, wild orchids and bananas; sidebars and close-up pictures and captions detail the abundant life above and below the canopy. ( Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-7-Although Knight doesn't minimize the difficulties, discomforts, and dangers of such a journey, he points out the sights and sounds that make the effort worthwhile. Traveling by speedboat, truck, and canoe, the voyagers eventually must hike and climb to reach unspoiled wilderness. Color photographs on every spread help bring the text to life and serve as an album of the trip the book re-creates. While the various rainforest layers are duly noted, the text provides a broader view than the vertical journey detailed in Carole Telford and Rod Theodorou's Up a Rainforest Tree (Heinemann Library, 1998). Jonathan Grupper's Destination: Rainforest (National Geographic, 1997) is for a younger audience. Knight's work ends abruptly, stranding readers on a mountain where they contemplate habitat destruction. Although the frequent admonitions get a bit wearing, the book is engaging enough to hold readers' attention and help them view tropical rainforests in a broader context.-Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Booklist Review

Gr. 3-5. Children are invited to don the gear pictured on the book's first double-page spread and take a guided tour of a tropical rain forest, its exact location unspecified. Along the walk, their guide points out an incredible diversity of creatures--from stick insects to harpy eagles--and talks about plants from bromeliads to lianas. Double-page spreads introduce aspects of the forest in relatively simple vocabulary (a glossary is appended), the striking color photographs are enticing, and second-person narrative gives the text an appealing immediacy. The endangered status of the world's rain forests is discussed, as is the interdependence of rain forest life. Children wanting to know more might enjoy Sneed B. Collard Forest in the Clouds (2000), a "tour" of a similar but more limited ecosystem, illustrated with paintings rather than photographs. Catherine Andronik

Horn Book Review

Through a series of double-page spreads, the reader is taken on a tour through an unspecified tropical rainforest. A clear text and inviting color photographs identify unusual animals, trees, and other plants found in this habitat. The volume also addresses the interdependence of the components, making a quietly effective statement for preserving the ecosystem. Glos., ind. From HORN BOOK Spring 2002, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Kirkus Book Review

Stunning photographs and descriptive text place readers right in the heart of the rainforest for a memorable journey that will leave them wanting more. Starting with what to wear and bring, this text stands out in that it even describes the process of getting to the rainforest-much more than a simple plane ride. In fact, the journey is part of the adventure. "You" are the traveler in this vibrant world-your guides the native peoples. With each stop, new plants and creatures await discovery. Readers will experience a thunderstorm, a flood, and the thrill of climbing a tree into the canopy-yet another world. This is where orchids grow, monkeys and parrots live, and frogs can spend their entire lives, depositing their eggs in the water collected in bromeliads. Each two-page spread takes the reader a little farther on the journey, while also focusing on one specific aspect of the rainforest-animal camouflage, survival, the forest floor. Knight also devotes one of these sections to the "Jigsaw Puzzle" that is the rainforest; all the pieces-the plants and animals-need to be in place to make the complete picture that is a healthy ecosystem. Knight's descriptive text paints mental pictures, and the photographs are breathtaking. Pages cluttered with bits and pieces of text accompanying insets of smaller pictures and boxes tend to be busy, but clear type helps tone it down. Although it includes a glossary and index, this is much more than just the facts-it's engrossing storytelling. (Nonfiction. 7-11)