National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of the Rain Forest
Contents INTRODUCTION How to Use This Book Chapter One Rain Forest Basics Raindrops Keep Falling Rain Forest Layers Wonderful Plants 6 7 8 10 12 14 Chapter Two roaming the Forest Floor 16 18 Mandrill 20 Capybara 22 Green Anaconda Blue Poison Dart Frog 24 Poison Dart Frog Photo Gallery 26 28 Amazon River Dolphin Lowland Streaked Tenrec 30 32 Lowland Tapir Southern Cassowary 34 38 Leafcutter Ants 42 Giant Anteater Goliath Bird-Eating Spider 44 46 Spider Photo Gallery Chapter Three Life in the Shadowy Understory 48 50 Bee Hummingbird 52 Goliath Beetle 54 Kinkajou 56 Parson’s Chameleon 60 Orchid Mantis 62 Eyelash Viper 64 Jaguar Other wild Cats 67 Golden-Crowned Flying Fox 68 Hoatzin 70 72 Green Iguana
Chapter Four Life in the Leafy Green Canopy 74 Toco Toucan 76 Howler Monkey 78 Monkey Photo Gallery 80 Sugar Glider 82 Raggiana Bird of Paradise 84 Black-and-White Ruffed Lemur Three-Toed Sloth Tarsier Orangutan Emerald Tree Boa Tree Kangaroo Rhinoceros Hornbill Red-Eyed Tree Frog 86 88 92 94 98 100 102 104 10 Cool Things to Remember About Rain Forests 118 120 Parent Tips 122 ANIMAL MAP Glossary 124 125 ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Index 126 127 Credits Chapter FivE Flying High in the Emergent Layer 106 108 Harpy Eagle Queen Alexandra’s Birdwing Butterfly 110 Butterfly Photo Gallery 112 Blue-and-Yellow Macaw 114 116 Parrot Photo Gallery
Introduction This book introduces Earth’s rain forests and explores them through the animals that live there It answers questions from What is a rain forest and How much does it rain in a rain forest to Why are poison dart frogs poisonous Although some rain forests grow in cooler parts of the world most are found in the tropics where it is warm all year The animals featured in this book all live in tropical rain forests A map at the back of the book shows where each of these animals is found in the wild Chapter one begins the book with a look at what makes a rain forest a rain forest It introduces young readers to the four levels of this ecosystem the forest floor understory canopy and emergent layer This chapter also highlights some of the amazing plants that grow in rain forests Chapter two continues the exploration of rain forests with a visit to the bottom level the forest floor Here readers will meet snakes spiders frogs mandrills and other animals that slither creep hop or walk on or near the ground Chapter three examines the second level of the rain forest the understory Gigantic beetles long-tongued lizards and sleek jaguars are some of the animals observed in this chapter Chapter four covers the third level the canopy which contains the branches and leaves of the giant trees that stretch across the rain forest Slow-moving sloths leaping lemurs and big-beaked birds are among the animals featured here Chapter five wraps up the main sections of the book with a trip to the highest level of the rain forest the emergent layer Enormous eagles and rainbow-colored butterflies are some of the creatures that swoop and flutter through the tip-top of the tallest trees 6
How to Use This Book Colorful Photographs illustrate each spread and support the text Pop-up Facts throughout provide added information about the rain forest and the animals featured in each section Rough scales help protect the eyelash viper’s body from spiky tree branches FactS KIND OF ANIMAL reptile HOME Central and northern South America SIZE nearly as long as a guitar FOOD frogs lizards small birds and mice SOUNDS soft slurping BABIES six to 20 live babies at a time 62 understory eyelash viper This beautiful snake has a deadly bite The eyelash viper bites its prey with The eyelash viper can be yellow green brown or even light blue Its head is shaped like a triangle This snake looks like it has eyelashes But those are actually pointy scales The viper loops itself around trees vines flowers and fruits in the understory Its color helps it blend in with a plant or flower while it waits for its prey to come close Hummingbirds are a favorite meal venom-filled fangs to kill it Feel your eyelashes are they soft or scaly 63 Fact Boxes give the young reader a quick look at an animal’s basic biology the kind of animal it is where it lives how big it is what it eats the sounds it makes and how many young it has at a time More for Parents in the back of the book offers parent tips that include fun activities that relate to rain forests and a helpful glossary Interactive Questions in each section encourage conversation related to the topic 7
