Booklist
Large, brilliantly colored paintings offer close-up views of plants and animals in the rain forest, and the main text revises the lyrics of the traditional song, "The Green Grass Grew All Around," adapting the words to feature a rain-forest setting. The use of generic names for the animals makes singing easier, with phrases such as "And by the frog / there sat a bird . . . / the funniest bird / that you ever did see. / The bird by the frog, / and the frog in the plant, / and the plant by the sloth . . ." Meanwhile, accompanying sidebars extend the lyrics with information and better identify some of the animals: the bird is a toucan, the frog is a poison dart frog, and the ant is a leaf-cutter ant. The appended activities section offers matching games and a recipe for cookies using ingredients that originate in the rain forest. Teachers looking for a rain-forest book that invites participation will want to sing this one aloud, as they share the striking illustrations with their classes. Phelan, Carolyn
Book Description
Imaginations will soar from the forest floor, up through the canopy and back down again, following the circle of life in The Rainforest Grew All Around. The jungle comes alive as children learn about the wide variety of the creatures lurking in the lush Amazon rainforest in this clever adaptation of the song "The Green Grass Grew All Around." Search each page to find unique rainforest bugs and butterflies hiding in the illustrations. Delve even deeper into the jungle using sidebars and the "For Creative Minds" educational section, both filled with fun facts about the plants and animals, how they live in the rainforest, and the products we use that come from the rainforest.
