Rain Forests (Magic Tree House Research Guide)

Book Description

What is the strangest plant in the rain forest? Which rain forest animal is the creepiest? What medicines have been discovered there? How can we save our rain forests? Find out the answers to these questions and more in Magic Tree House Research Guide: Rain Forests, Jack and Annie’s very own guide to the mysteries of the rain forest. Includes information on rain forests around the world; fun facts about rain-forest bugs, birds, plants, and animals; maps and photographs; and much more!

Customer Reviews:

Environmental Risk Consultant.......2007-09-18

Teachers should be advised to identify to students the possibility of environmental hyperbole in Chapter 7, "Saving the Rain Forests". Absence of scientific attribution to deforestation rates make it difficult to know whether the authors are using reliable scientific sources for their data or simply repeating hyperbole found in radical environmental materials. Scientific documentation used by Dr. Bjorn Lomborg in "The Skeptical Environmentalist" appears to be contrary to the deforestation issue information as portrayed by Will Osborne and Mary Pope Osborne. I cannot recommend the use of Chapter 7 in this book in elementary school classrooms.

Good info, v. readable.......2002-03-14

Our girls read this after a trip to the Amazon, and found lots that they recognized & enjoyed. The standard of information is rather higher than that in the Magic Tree house books, which is reasonable, given that they don't have to worry about plot & characters as well!

Book Description

Bats and big cats. Armies of ants. Squawking parrots. Strangling figs. From the ground up to the tree tops, the tropical rainforest teems with life. Stunning drawings, step-by-step experiments, fun-to-do activities, and fascinating facts abound in this magical exploration of an essential ecosystem, in danger of disappearing forever. Tropical Rain Forest is a new edition to the One Samll Square Series not previously published in hardcover.

Customer Reviews:

Great, whether you get to the rain forest or not.......2002-03-14

The One Small Square series is wonderful: the concept is that you take a hypothetical square foot of an environment- woods, seashore, arctic tundra, rainforest, etc.- and explore it at all levels, from underground to the sky. Each book is extensively illustrated with all of the inter-connected layers of life- from fungus to megafauna- in the Square. On the margin of most of the 2-page spreads are activities that you can do, no matter where you live. Food chains, life cycles & seasons are explored, and the back section has an identification guide to all of the life forms presented in the book.

Book Description

When Europeans first reached the land that would become the United States they were staggered by the breadth and density of the forest they found. The existence of that forest, and the effort either to use or subdue it, have been constant themes in American history, literature, economics, and geography up to the meaning of the forest in American history and culture, he describes and analyzes the clearing and use of the forest from pre-European times to the present, and he traces the subsequent regrowth of the forest since the middle of the twentieth century. Dr Williams begins by exploring the role of the forest in American culture: the symbols, themes, and concepts - for example, pioneer woodsman, lumberjack, wilderness - generated by contact with the vast land of trees. He considers the Indian use of the forest, describing the ways in which native tribes altered it, primarily through fire, to promote a subsistence economy. Early European settlers, he shows, extracted many products from the forest, and also began the extensive clearance of trees that would continue for almost three hundred years. Succeeding chapters, organized by topic and region, cover agricultural and industrial effects upon and uses of the forest. Dr Williams explores the rise (and often fall) of industries based upon forest products: naval stores, timber for building, charcoal and the iron industry, the railroads. Attention is devoted to the forests of the Middle West, the South, and the Pacific Northwest. By the late nineteenth century Americans began to realize that the forest was not boundless and moved to preserve those portions, still extensive, that remained. In the wake of the movement for preservation, Dr Williams describes how the forest began to regrow, especially after 1950, in areas where it had originally been vigorous and healthy, a development that continues today.

Average customer rating:

Very Interesting!

Eye Wonder: Rain Forest
Helen Sharman
Manufacturer: DK CHILDREN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0789478536

Book Description

Open your eyes to a world of discovery. Prowl through the undergrowth and meet the amazing creatures that lurk there. Favorite animals such as tigers, snakes, and chimpanzees rub shoulders with marmosets, katydids, and sloths, and every animal is shown in its correct layer of the forest. Dramatic, atmospheric photography provides a wealth of visual information. Packed with facts and written in an accessible style, Eye Wonders are the perfect educational start for young children. A groundbreaking reference series specially developed for younger children aged five plus. In a stunning style departure for DK, wonderful photography shows subjects within their natural setting, offering a whole new level of information through powerful images. Vocabulary is accessible to children aged five plus, with the meanings of new, subject-related words clearly explained. The series provides an excellent knowledge base on the natural world for children starting to learn. The combination of breathtaking visuals and informative, accurate text will hook even those children who usually avoid books.

Customer Reviews:

Very Interesting! .......2005-01-10

A good rain forest book for intermediate students. They will enjoy it and the text and photographs are just right for them.

In a Dark Wood: The Fight Over Forests and the Myths of Nature

Average customer rating:

Ina a Dark Wood: The Fight Over Forests and the Myths of Nature
ignorant and angry but useful
eye-opening clear analysis that changed my views

In a Dark Wood: The Fight Over Forests and the Myths of Nature
Alston Chase
Manufacturer: Transaction Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0765807521

Customer Reviews:

Ina a Dark Wood: The Fight Over Forests and the Myths of Nature.......2007-01-10

A very well researched and well written account of the "Old Growth Forest" controversy. I strongly encourage students of enviromentalism to read it. It clearly lays out some of the seminal disagreements of forest management that stil plague our forests today.

ignorant and angry but useful.......2005-05-03

Chase's angry critique of "environmentalists" and their myths of nature has its points, but he ignores most of the substantial efforts to manage our ecosystem holistically -- e.g. including land, people, and money. He criticizes "biocentrism" but many of us recognize that human life, for example, is totally dependent on other organisms, E. coli to start. The question is not hierarchy, but interdependence.

Hundreds of pages on what's wrong in my edition, and only two pages that mention possible pathways to the future in the form of the Quincy Library Group and Applegate Partnership.

eye-opening clear analysis that changed my views.......2002-11-28

Until reading "In a Dark Wood" I espoused "politically correct" environmentalist views -- such as "all old growth forests must be saved at any cost from evil logging" -- in a knee-jerk, emotionally charged, self-righteous way, without ever taking the trouble to study or think through what was really at stake, and what premises about reality underlay my views. Alston Chase's thinking on conservation is so clearly presented, so well backed by evidence, so carefully analysed, and so full of good will and integrity, that I find it impossible to read his book without respecting his intentions -- and his conclusions, which challenge everything I had unthinkingly assumed in the past. This is the kind of book that not only addresses concrete problems, such as the political struggle between, say Earth First and Maxxam Corporation, but also inspires the reader to think more deeply, and question his/her assumptions. This is the kind of book I think most self-labeled "environmentalists" -- especially those who come from white, middle class, college-educated backgrounds -- will dismiss prior to investigation, and will never read. If so, it is a sad loss. It's a book that can change your views and help you learn to think better -- and I believe most people would rather not do so, since thinking better might well spoil the dramatic excitement of waging a war of good against evil, nature against humanity. Still, I hope people will read this book. It's one that changed my life.

The Crustacea (Treatise on Zoology-Anatomy, Taxonomy, Biology)

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The Crustacea (Treatise on Zoology-Anatomy, Taxonomy, Biology)

Manufacturer: Brill Academic Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 9004137912

Bats in Forests: Conservation and Management

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Bats in Forests: Conservation and Management

Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Bat Ecology

ASIN: 0801884993

Book Description

Although bats are often thought of as cave dwellers, many species depend on forests for all or part of the year. Of the 45 species of bats in North America, more than half depend on forests, using the bark of trees, tree cavities, or canopy foliage as roosting sites. Over the past two decades it has become increasingly clear that bat conservation and management are strongly linked to the health of forests within their range.

Initially driven by concern for endangered species -- the Indiana bat, for example -- forest ecologists, timber managers, government agencies, and conservation organizations have been altering management plans and silvicultural practices to better accommodate bat species. Bats in Forests presents the work of a variety of experts who address many aspects of the ecology and conservation of bats. The chapter authors describe bat behavior, including the selection of roosts, foraging patterns, and seasonal migration as they relate to forests. They also discuss forest management and its influence on bat habitat. Both public lands and privately owned forests are considered, as well as techniques for monitoring bat populations and activity.

The important role bats play in the ecology of forests -- from control of insects to nutrient recycling -- is revealed by a number of authors. Bat ecologists, bat conservationists, forest ecologists, and forest managers will find in this book an indispensable synthesis of the topics that concern them.

Nature's Green Umbrella (Mulberry Books)

Average customer rating:

Gail should hire an illustrator or a photographer !
An excellent, accurate book

Nature's Green Umbrella (Mulberry Books)

Manufacturer: HarperTrophy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0688154115
Release Date: 1997-04-24

Book Description

"A scientifically accurate book which depicts the complex world of rain forests in easily understood text and sumptuous illustrations. The geography, climate and ecology of the rain forest are explained and the illustrations teem with the flora and fauna."--Children's Literature. ??? Customer Reviews:

Gail should hire an illustrator or a photographer !.......2000-07-23

Ms. Gibbons is a WONDERFUL writer. Her drawings, however, are definitely not in the category of her writing. They detract from her books. I am a children's librarian and I have seen time after time that kids will avoid her books because the pictures are so unappealing. This is a shame since the text is usually outstanding. Ms. Gibbons should think about getting an illustrator or a photographer to supply an equivalent to her text. If she were to do this, her books would reach a much greater audience.

An excellent, accurate book.......2000-04-11

This book can be used as an excellent teaching tool. It provides a great introduction to the rainforests, and is full of facts about animals, medicines, and plants that are found in the rainforests.

If I Ran the Rain Forest: All About Tropical Rain Forests (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry)

Average customer rating:

Great starter book on rain forests!
Not impressed
Interesting way to introduce rain forests to children

If I Ran the Rain Forest: All About Tropical Rain Forests (Cat in the Hat's Lrning Libry)
Bonnie Worth
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0375810978
Release Date: 2003-04-22

Book Description

The Cat in the Hat takes Sally and Dick for an “umbrella-vator” ride through the understory, canopy, and emergent layers of a tropical rain forest, encountering a host of plants, animals, and native peoples along the way.

Customer Reviews:

Great starter book on rain forests!.......2007-03-29

My 6 yr old really enjoyed this intro book on rain forests. One of the off-shore excursions on our upcoming cruise is the Costa Rican rain forest and I purchased several books on rain forests to get him familiar with the topic This one was the perfect intro book for him. It was written in classic Seuss rhyming style which was engaging for my son. The illustrations were colorful and eye-catching and the information about rain forests was just enough for a 6yr old to understand and digest. We read it while also listening to a "Relax with Tropical Rain Forest" audio CD which provided an added dimension to the rain forest learning experience. I plan on reading the other books on rain forests to him but selectively as they contain much more advanced information.

Not impressed.......2007-01-18

This is the first time I've read a book from the Cat in the Hat Learning Library, so I wasn't sure what to expect. But I wasn't expecting this.

The illustrations make it look like the kids and the cat are having an adventure in the rainforest. But they aren't. They're just on a field trip, I guess.

The book goes over the four levels of the rainforest and names the different types of animals, plants, and people you would find in a rainforest. The main focus of the book seems to be maintaining the rhyme scheme rather than giving detailed information. At times, clarity is even sacrificed in order to maintain the rhyme. For example, "Millions of acres of land every year are cut down..." Cutting down land is confusing to a child. Usually trees or plants are cut down.

One funny thing was that the cat in the hat says he will give you a prize if you find these six things. Well, he's talking to the kids he is traveling with, not "you" the reader. So my 5-year-old son jumped in and named the things, then said "Where's my prize?"

So after around 40 pages of naming and discussing rainforest plants, animals, and people, a bulldozer showed up on the second to last page and the animals are running for their lives. On the last page the cat in the hat says "Save these trees please!" The end. Well, I like the environmental theme, but I had an awful lot of explaining to do when the bulldozer showed up. I think the book should have begun where it ended, because that is where the real story is. I buy books for my kids in the hope that the author can explain and illustrate a topic better than I can.

My son only asked me to read this book once, then never picked it up again.

I gave the book two stars for the unusual format. The novelty might appeal to some kids.

Interesting way to introduce rain forests to children.......2004-10-25

This is one of the best of The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library. The rhyming style is excellent. This book introduces such concepts as four levels of the rain forest, transpiration, animals in the forest, pollination, and camouflage.

The Remarkable Rainforest: An Active-Learning Book for Kids, New Edition

Average customer rating:

Great teaching tool!

The Remarkable Rainforest: An Active-Learning Book for Kids, New Edition
Toni Albert
Manufacturer: Trickle Creek Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books
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ASIN: 1929432046

Book Description

The Remarkable Rainforest is more remarkable than ever! Completely updated and enlarged, this new edition is so full of activities and information that kids can't help learning about the ecology of rainforests, why they are important, how they are threatened, and how we can help save them. (Teachers love this book!)

The Remarkable Rainforest includes:

A new two-page photo journal that takes kids on a rainforest adventure

A new page of exciting rainforest activities, such as attracting a rainforest bird to your backyard, making rainforest potpourri, and visiting a Rainforest Cafe

A new page with directions for making an indoor rainforest

The author's "Rainforest Journal" about her adventures in the Costa Rican rainforests, which makes the forest "come alive" to children

Learning resources, including a glossary, a bibliography for kids, lists of rainforest exhibits and environmental organizations, and favorite rainforest web sites

Dozens and dozens of activities that are challenging and fun

Customer Reviews:

Great teaching tool!.......2007-05-30

I used this with my third graders in teaching a thematic unit on the rainforest. It is full of maps, activities, information, experiments, a board game, etc. It was an excellent resource that covered all parts of the rainforest. Following some of the articles is a little quiz on the reading---that was an added bonus because there was a ready-made quiz for my kids that I didn't even have to make! This book provided some great information for myself and my students. I would highly recommend it not only as a resource for a classroom teacher, but for any child who is interested in the rainforest. Outstanding!

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