The Forest in the Clouds by Sneed B. Collard III

by Sneed B. Collard III

Take a trip to a unique habitat--the cloud forests of Central America! In his previous journey, Sneed Collard introduced the water habitats of Our Wet World--a "Reading Rainbow" selection and an NSTA/CBC Notable book. Now he takes the reader to the mountains of Costa Rica to see the glorious resplendent quetzal, the fierce margay, the slow-moving two-toed sloth, the startling harlequin frog, and dozens of other colorful and secretive animals. They inhabit a very special place, a rain forest of the mountains--the cloud forest. This lavishly illustrated book takes the reader on an incredible journey to this habitat, warns of the threats to it, and suggests what readers can do to help or to learn more. A glossary, a list of suggested websites and books, and a map are included.

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Childrens, Nature

Mass Market Paperback

First published July 1, 2000

About the author

Sneed B. Collard III (see also "Sneed B. Collard") is a biologist, world traveler, speaker, and author of almost one hundred books for young people, including the 2024 Orbis Pictus Award winner, Border Crossings (Charlesbridge Publishing). His other recent science titles include Fire Birds; Hopping Ahead of Climate Change; Little Killers; Waiting for a Warbler; Beaver & Otter Get Along . . . Sort of; and the upcoming picture book, Like No Other. Collard holds science degrees from the University of California at Berkeley and U.C. Santa Barbara. He lives in Montana.

Reviews

[Molly]

This beautifully illustrated book does a good job of presenting scientific details at a level that upper elementary school students can understand. About 75% of each page is dedicated to the illustrations, with text on the remaining 25%. This balance between text and images makes the sometimes-advanced vocabulary more manageable for young readers, and Michael Rothman’s realistic painting style means that the illustrations are also a rich source of information. The text emphasizes how everything in the world is connected, explaining how pollution from farms and factories can make its way into the rainforest and harm the animals there. Collard shows that this is a serious problem, but also offers hope by highlighting the work people (including children) around the world have done to protect the rainforest. The book is two decades old, so some of the resources listed at the end are outdated. However, the information in the book itself remains valid--although they have continued to search, scientists still haven’t found a Golden Toad since the species became extinct 30 years ago, and these toads have become “a symbol of extinction and the amphibian biodiversity crisis” (Freedman, 2019).

Works Cited

Freedman, E. (2019, May 15). Thirty years after the last Golden Toad sighting, what have we learned? Rainforest Trust. https://www.rainforesttrust.org/thirt...

[Jenny Hartfelder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about the Costa Rican cloud forest with my 5yo. The pictures are beautiful and detailed and the writing is engaging. It walks through a variety of birds, animals, insects, and plants and shares how they live and interact. The book takes a decidedly environmentalist turn in the last few pages, but we still found it to be interesting and engaging non-fiction.

[Kaitlyn Kluesner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was about different types of forests. My really liked that the pictures had great detail. I also liked that there was a glossary in the back. This is very helpful for students so when they do not know a word, they can look it up, instead of just skipping it.

[Collin Duax]

I think this book was very informative. It shows a lot about all the cool animals you will find in the rain forest.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated introduction to life in the cloud forest.

[Lin Lin]

Excellent book about the rain forest in the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica.