By Frank Serafini, Kids Can Press, $16.95, 32 pages
The rain forest can be a mysterious place, with hidden treasures. Looking Closely In The Forest takes a close look at some of those treasures.The basic format is a guessing game, with a blown-up section of an animal and two options for the creature provided, and then the answer shown on the next page with some information on the animal or plant shown. As the options are somewhat silly and the photographs lovely, this is sure to be a hit for any young child that looks at it.
There is no question that this is an educational book, and it makes no bones about that. That said, the photos are incredible, done in sharp full color and presented with a lot of interesting information that puts it in its proper place in the rain forest. The flora and fauna depicted have been chosen with apparent care so as to show the widest range, so that even the youngest child will get the idea of just how much life is in a rain forest. For the inquisitive child, this is an excellent book on nature.
Reviewed by Jamais Jochim