About the Rain Forest

by Heather Johanasen, Sindy McKay

Offers side-by-side text for adult and child, as well as photographs of the rain forest and its plants and inhabitants, including lemurs, marmosets, and water lilies.

Genres: Childrens, Nonfiction

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is cited as a level 1-2, but more like a late first grade, not a beginning reading book. Great for a child who loves science and exploring animals. The left page is the adult's reading page with a lot of words and facts. Then the right page is the easier page for the child. The highlighted word or words on the adult's page is then repeated on the child's page. Definitely higher level vocabulary, but not uncommon for children who love this type of book to catch on and memorize. A repeated reading of this book would give a child the encouragement and background to enjoy his side of the story and the photographs are amazing.

[Sidney Shiflet · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book because it talks about the rainforest, which I think is a fun topic. I think that students like to read these types of books and they can learn a lot while reading them. I enjoyed this book because it was an easy read and it talked about a different animal or plant on each page. This book had more advanced text on one side (parent page) and an easier version (child's page) on the other side, which I personally thought was helpful and interesting. This book would be very useful when talking about the rain forest in the classroom and I think the students would enjoy this book.

[Lindsey]

I read the book version, not the audio version. About the rainforest by Heather Johanasen and Sindy McKay is a part of the We Both Read Books where the parent, or teacher, and child take turns reading. The left side of the book is for the parents or teachers, containing more in depth text than the child’s page located on the right side of the book. The parent and child pages are corresponding, both containing the same bolded vocabulary words, the only difference is the amount of text and pictures on the page. It starts off with the weather and moves along to the stories of rainforests. It then continues to facts about plants and animals. The pictures and texts support one another, and are actual photographs taken from rainforests, providing children with a real representation of rainforests. I would use this book in my classroom. I would read aloud to my classroom the parent and/or teacher part, and have a student volunteer come up and read aloud to the rest of their classmates the child part of the book. This is a good way to get students involved and give them a purpose for listening to the text. I would also encourage parents to purchase these types of books at home; students can really grow as a reader by reading to and with their parents or someone else the child respects.

[Cws]

BR-Joh