Strikingly realistic pencil and oil paint images that evoke both black-and-white and colorized photographs present scenes from a tropical rain forest in Malaysia. The illustrations, which range in size from full-page to double-page spreads, provide a detailed look at this lush natural environment and include a variety of living things in views ranging from the forest floor to the canopy. Some of the flora and fauna are easy to spot, while some are harder to see at first glance. Details about them are included in an accompanying narrative that also provides information about the rain forest ecosystem. A visual recap of all the creatures included in the art is provided at volume’s end, making this, among other things, a sophisticated book of seek-and-find. Additional information about the world’s rain forests, including the impact of deforestation on the survival of rain forest species, is also included at the end of this handsomely designed oversized volume.   (Ages 7-11)

The award-winning team behind Can We Save the Tiger? and Ape invites young readers to explore the breathtaking biodiversity of a Malaysian tropical rain forest.


Conservation biologist Martin Jenkins and acclaimed fine artist Vicky White expertly guide readers into the complex ecosystem of Malaysia’s Taman Negara. Conversational prose and photorealistic black-and-white artwork—punctuated by four jaw-dropping full-color spreads—evoke the whir of cicadas and the low call of a pheasant. Pages fill with ants and elephants, leopards and hornbills, gibbons and bats, as animals spread and fertilize seeds to help maintain a magnificent old-growth forest. Every living thing in the rain forest is interconnected, and a dazzling full-color index guide at the end of the book challenges readers to circle back and marvel at animals they may have missed in the dense foliage. Meticulously researched and visually arresting, this creative tour de force is a young conservationist’s dream: the ecotour of a lifetime.