Customer Reviews

Inside the Dzanga-Sangha Rain Forest : Exploring the Heart of Central Africa

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Inside the Dzanga-Sangha Rain Forest is a spectacular book that follows a team of twenty scientists, artists, photographers, and filmmakers, into the heart of Africa in their search to find the essence of the rain forest. Guided by the BaAka people, a local tribe, the team spends two months filming and recording the beauty of Africa. They trudge through elephant dung, swarms of "sweat" bees, and thigh-deep flood plains, or bai as it is called in the national language of Sango, to collect items for a unique walk-through rain forest exhibit in New York City. In summary, this book takes readers on a vicarious trip through the rain forest so they can experience its beauty, meet its inhabitants, and learn practical survival skills such as gathering honey, eating termites, and playing basketball BaAka style. Regardless of age, you will find fun and adventure between the covers of Inside the Dzanga-Sangha Rain Forest!

You may not have recently toured the rain forests of Central Africa, but you can enjoy the lush photographs and readable text about this facinating corner of the world, the Dzangu-Sangha Rain Forest. I am a lover of African lore and found this book to use in my class. My students and I have eaten it up. We marveled at the marvelous pictures and were fascinated by the facts and information we found in the text. We all loved the information about driver ants that can be used to close up wounds that formerly required stitiches. The BaAka people and their customs are carefully documented with care and with dignity. Three sections of ninth graders who have been studying Afrian literature and folklore adored this book. To boot, my own kids, ages 5-13, have poured over the book during family reading hour. I recommended our high school library acquire a copy for student use. It is incredibly readable and suitable for a large audience. It is not to be missed.