Welcome to the Book Review Bistro. I’m Jessica with Tara, and we are
reviewing Tropical Forests by Tom Jackson. Out of all the biomes, important sections of
the world distinguished by their climate and wildlife, tropical forests are the most
colorful. Tropical Forests by Tom Jackson is about the climate, animals, plants, and
people of tropical forests. This book includes maps, fun facts, detailed pictures, and
descriptive captions. It has current information, with a copyright of 2003. Kids from
seventh to ninth grade will be able to enjoy this book.
Tom Jackson explains the topic of tropical forests thoroughly, starting with the
climate. He writes that a belt of rainy weather, located on the Equator, moves north in the
summer. In the winter, the belt of weather moves south. This creates wet and dry seasons.
A type of plant that Jackson talks about is epiphytes. Epiphytes are plants that
grow on other plants. In the book Tropical Forests, Jackson writes clearly about this
topic in this passage. He states, “Some epiphytes sprout in the canopy, but others climb
to get there. The roots of such epiphytes stick to bark, and the plant grows steadily
towards the light. As the roots die away, the whole plant creeps gradually up the tree,
like a very slow snail.” His writing is smooth and you can understand it easily. “Like a
very slow snail,” shows that Jackson also gives good comparisons.
Jackson tells us that some types of animals in the tropical forests are called
pygmies. Their relatives that live outside of the forests are larger, because in the forest,
there is less space. He gives a few examples of these pygmies, such as pygmy elephants
and hippos. Tom also writes about the people that live in the forests. He explains that
there are even human pygmies. “These people have been called pygmies because they
are very short. On average, they are only 4 feet to 4 feet 8 inches tall.”
Tom Jackson shows us the beautiful tropical forests through vivid pictures and
interesting details. The organization, at times, may be confusing because it has two pages
of a specific rainforest, but the next pages talk about tropical forests in general.
Overall Tropical Forests is a colorful, attractive, fun, interesting, descriptive,
informative, current, thorough, and truly amazing book. The pictures are realistic and
very attractive. The pictures are what drew our attention to this book. It is a book that
takes you on a journey through the tropical forests throughout the world without having
to move an inch. You don’t even have to read the whole book to discover a new world!
On a scale of 1 to 5 in this Book Review Bistro, we would give Tropical Forests by Tom
Jackson 4 spoons, because it will satisfy your needs on tropical forests. We love this
book a lot!