Rain Forests & Reefs: A Kid'S-Eye View of the Tropics (Cincinnati Zoo) [Library Binding]

Caitlin Maynard (Author), Thane Maynard (Author), Stan Rullman (Author, Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1996 | Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Cincinnati Zoo

Describes a fieldtrip that eighteen students and seven adults took to study the ecosystems of a tropical rain forest and a coral reef in Belize.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-8. Caitlin Maynard's account of her trip to Belize with the Junior Zoologists Club is supplemented with factual material from her father, the education director at the Cincinnati Zoo and Botanical Garden, and club leader Stan Rullman. Together, they provide an unusual view of the diversity of plants and animals in a country about the size of Massachusetts. The teenagers hiked through both lowland tropical rain forests and the Mountain Pine Ridge region. They spent time in a jaguar preserve, although they never observed the elusive cats. Snorkeling near coral reefs brought them into contact with a different habitat. This book is much more than a travelogue. Profiles of people working to save the environment, brief biofacts, and definitions of significant terms expand upon the information provided. The attractive format incorporates full-color photographs, different typefaces, and boxed text to offer visual cues to changes in topic and voice. This engaging title serves as an introduction to both tropical rain forests and coral reefs. For supplemental information, direct students to Mary Cerullo's Coral Reef (Cobblehill, 1996) and Dorothy Hinshaw Patent's Children Save the Rain Forest (Dutton, 1996). What makes this book unique is its concentration on the diversity of Belize and the personal perspective that brings natural wonders alive for readers.?Kathy Piehl, Mankato State University, MN
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4^-8. When 18 teenagers and 7 adults took a field trip to Belize in Central America to study tropical rain forests and coral reefs, they returned with considerably more than a chronicle of a summer vacation. Their discoveries are revealed in this beautifully designed picture book, which invites browsing with color photographs, profiles of scientists at work protecting the environment, excerpts from high-school student Caitlin Maynard's diary, and lucid explanations of science concepts such as biodiversity, symbiosis, and mutualism. Various human activities that are destroying the reefs are straightforwardly discussed as well. The photographs are occasionally dark, but readers will still come away with a real sense of the rain forests and reefs, and appended addresses of travel programs will help them find their own expedition. Glossary and bibliography. Shelley Townsend-Hudson

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Library Binding: 64 pages
• Publisher: Franklin Watts (December 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0531112810
• ISBN-13: 978-0531112816
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 9.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,769,917 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best darn book I ever read, February 2, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Rain Forests & Reefs: A Kid'S-Eye View of the Tropics (Cincinnati Zoo Books) (Paperback)

I believe that Caitlin Maynard has done a phenomenal job of conveying what it was like to explore a tropical ecosystem for the first time as a junior highschool student, while simultaneoulsy teaching the reader all about the wild creatures and plants of Belize. It's especially amazing, given the fact that she was so young when she wrote it. My favorite part was the photo of the whole group taken just before they embarked on their journey. The kids on the trip must have had lots of fun. Many of them were probably entranced by the multitude of new species they were seeing. Especially the girl on the front cover--I bet she did not even know she was being photographed! I also enjoyed the miraculously clear underwater photos of eels--however did the photographer get those pictures?

5.0 out of 5 stars Up Close and In Your Face, March 30, 2011

By 

Cindy - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rain Forests & Reefs: A Kid'S-Eye View of the Tropics (Cincinnati Zoo Books) (Paperback)

Excellent resource and account of exploring the rain forests and barrier reef of Belize. When reading this book to the children in Kid's Bible School, their minds were filled with amazement as they asked numerous questions concerning the "foreign" habitats. The kids are writing and supporting an eight year old boy in Belize City through a missionary's Pen Pal Program. Knowing more about Karl's country while help them better relate to him.