If I Ran the Rain Forest: All About Tropical Rain Forests

The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library

by Bonnie Worth, Aristides Ruiz (Illustrator)

The Cat in the Hat takes Sally and Dick for an “umbrella-vator” ride through the understory, canopy, and emergent layers of a tropical rain forest, encountering a host of plants, animals, and native peoples along the way.


From the Hardcover edition.

Genres: Science, Picture Books, Childrens, Nonfiction, Animals, Nature, School

48 pages, Library Binding

First published April 22, 2003

About the author

BONNIE WORTH is the author of countless books for young readers, among them the Cat in the Hat Learning Library books If I Ran the Rain Forest, HarK! A Shark!, Oh Say Can You Seed? (winner of the 2003 Ohio Farm Bureau Award), Wish for a Fish, Oh Say Can You Say Di-No-Saur?, Would You Rather Be a Pollywog?, Ice Is Nice!, and Safari, So Good!

Reviews

[Gerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Cat in the Hat Learning Library series continues its excellent record with an absorbing account of the tropical rainforest along with his pals, Thing 1 and Thing 2, and accompanied by Sally and Nick. With the great Dr Seuss-style illustrations it is quite amazing how much one learns from reading these fun books.

The Cat begins by explaining that a rainforest has about 100 inches of rain per year and that there are different types of rainforest; a tropical rainforest, a seasonal rainforest, a cloud rainforest and a mangrove rainforest. Rain falls on the tropical rainforest most, and this rainy environment is called transpiration.

There are four floors to a rainforest, he tells the children and he uses his quirky umbrella-vator to take them up to the uppermost floor. Here buttress roots help give the trees support. At this dizzy height, a harpy eagle makes its home and there are gaggles of 'parrots of colourful hue and macaws of scarlet and blue'.

On floor three, lower tree tops form the green canopy and it keeps rain and sun off the floors below. Plants there have hanging roots that 'suck up the moisture right out of the air'. Next comes the canopy, 'the most crowded of spots' where monkeys, tree frogs and birds eat lots of fruits, nuts, and bugs and the nectar of flowers. It is also noisy there and 'busy all hours and some animals live their whole lives without touching the ground'.

The under canopy is the next stop where 'not much sun can make its way through' and where spider monkeys and ocelots live and where some animals use camouflage to hide themselves away. In addition, jaguars prowl, snakes slither and insects and spiders 'creep yon and hither' and where, also, humankind live where they hunt and farm, choosing what to eat very selectively to ensure that it is not poisonous.

The four floors make up a complete ecosystem but the Cat says that if he could do something to make change he would undoubtedly say, 'Chop somewhere else, people. Leave us these trees. Don't cut them down.' And then his final heartfelt plea, 'Save these trees please!'

The book is yet another brilliant learning tool.

[Emily Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this story, the cat in the hat explains all of the different aspects of the rainforest. I think younger students would be drawn to this book because they will recognize the cat in the hat and the familiar rhyming patterns. This book contains a wealth of information about climate, the layers of the rainforest, and animals.

[Robin Coral · Rating 2 out of 5]

I LOVED this book… (until)!! My son and I were googling some animals to learn more and interest was spiked. I loved it until that is… they showed native humans. “And some of them even have farmed” Lost all the love there… it feels out of place and showing the humans as if they were animals was poor taste.

[Heather McC · Rating 4 out of 5]

This informational text is a fine edition to the Dr. Seuss library. Covering the basics of the various rainforests without going overboard, the Cat in the Hat proves to be a humorous tour guide that encourages eager readers to ask follow up questions. Finding the answers is half the fun!

[Christina Lawrence · Rating 5 out of 5]

March is learning about the jungle. This is nice overview of the rainforest in rhyme. With a few focus points on the creatures and plants. The book brakes down large words for beginner readers and there is a glossary at the end to help with other words found in the book. The illustrations are not your typical Suess style except the narrative characters. But illustrations fill the pages as if you are immerse in the jungle.

[Karissa Kelly]

If I Ran the Rain Forest is a rhyming book about the four stories of the rain forest and what lives on each level. The reader will get to travel though the uppermost floor where emergent trees are shown, the canopy where it's the most crowded, the understory where the ocelots live, and the first floor where humans and animals live together. The Cat and the Hat along with his friends visit each floor with the help of their umbrella-vator. By then end, you've seen the entire rain forest or ecosystem and hopefully want to help Cat in the Hat save trees.

I love this book. It has so much information, yet its fun to read because of the rhyming and illustrations. The book even gives a glossary in the back to explain any words that might be confusing for kids. It also raises awareness of the destruction taking place in the rain forest from builders chopping down trees.

This book would be great for a class studying rain forests. Its informational but also entertaining. I would highly recommend reading this book.

[Lindsey]

If I ran the rainforest by Bonnie Worth and illustrated by Aristides Ruiz is a piece of The Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library that introduces beginning readers to basic non-fiction with the famous Dr. Seuss character, Cat in the Hat. This is a rhyming piece of poetry that reflects aspects of the rainforest. Children are interested in fun texts that get them engaged. Through an adventure of rhyming, children will read about a story placed in the rainforest near the equator with different kinds of seasons. Then, Cat in the Hat takes the readers through the four stories of the rainforest, meeting all sorts of animals and plants. The illustrator has created large colorful pictures that support the text of the author. I would use this book in my classroom to show my students real facts about the rainforest and nature in a fun and engaging way for them. The students would already be familiar with Cat in The Hat, and would love to follow his journey through the rainforest.

[Alyssa Durant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so cute! I love Cat in the Hat books and the way the words rhyme and flow make it so easy to say engaged and interested. This book is FULL of fun facts about the rain forest and the plants and animals that live in it. This book would be a really great one to read if you are giving a unit on the rain forest because the pictures and rhymes make it fun and easy to learn.

At the back of the book there is also a glossary that explains some words that might be a little hard for some kindergartners to understand such as "Epiphyte". It also holds other suggestions for books about the rain forest if you are wanting to learn more! Pictures are labeled and everything is so creative. I love this book!

[Caitlin Harris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVED If I Ran the Rain Forest by Bonnie Worth. This story tells all about the rainforest and the different animals that live there. The consistent rhyming and interactive sections made this book so interesting and entertaining. I really liked when the book asked the reader to find things or remember information told earlier in the book. The illustrations were excellent and the colors were very vibrant and fun to look at. I would definitely have this book in my classroom. This book is so informative and it makes learning fun. It would be great to use when learning about the rainforest or even just as a fun read during a break.

[Cassie Houck · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this book, our adventurous pal, the cat in the hat, takes us on a journey to rainforests all over the world. The author includes vocabulary such as "transpiration" and introduces us to animals such as the macaw and the red eyed tree frog.

I loved this book bc its not your typical non fiction book on rain forest. It almost has a plot and is very colorful. Also the children love The Cat in the Hat. There is also a glossary in the back which i find very helpful to review the vocabulary words that we just learned.

I would use this as a read aloud for a mini lesson or just have it in my library.

[Hannah Kauper]

This is a Dr. Susse book, so whats not to like? The illustrations are amazing and creative as usual. Although this book has more of a realistic feel to it. Unlike his other books that have crazy trees and animals. This book takes the reader into the rain forest and teaches all there is to know about the life in the wet trees.
I think this book is a great way to introduce kids to the rain forest. After reading this to the class I would then have them write about what they might see if they took a trip into the rain forest. It is a great way to start off a new section in a fun and colorful way. I love all his books and hope to gather them for my future classroom.

[Hannah McDonald · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cat in the Hat take Sally and Dick on an adventure through the rain forest. They visit each floor using a "umbrella-vator" and explore many things. The Cat in the Hat informs them of many things and describes what each floor consists of: animal and plant wise. At the end, he tells us to save rain forest trees, because they are important to us.
This book was so informative, and I actually learned more about rain forests, that I didn't know. It has many good illustrations and is very colorful, making it appeal to kids.
This book can be used when talking about rain forests and which animals and plants belong to which one. It is very informative and I think kids would enjoy it.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lyrical look at the rain forests of the world, especially the Amazon in South America. It's a short, but informative look at the various levels of the rain forest, from the emergents, to the canopy, to the understory, and finally to the forest floor. The book depicts the conditions of life there and various animals that can be found. It's a fun book to read aloud, although we were quite disappointed that our copy was missing four pages at the end - most of the section about trying to preserve the environment and save the rain forests.

[McKenna Banks · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I Ran the Rainforest is a Cat in the Hat Learning Library book, so it reads like a Dr. Seuss book in a way. It tells all about the three different types of rainforests and interesting facts about what goes on in the rainforest. The book is very informational, but it reads like a fun story.

I really liked the way this nonfiction book was written. I sometimes have the tendency to get bored and not like nonfiction as well, but this book was so cute! It had lots of information but was still fun and interesting.

This book would be best used in a rainforest unit.

[Maggie Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a learning tool, for telling children about the rain forest like the animals that lives there. The kind of rainfall they get. All the different people that live their and what the floor looks like and the names of many things.

I loved this book for incorporating science. I thought the illustrations were amazing and very accurate. It was very informative.

I would use this book to teach my students and get them excited about science and the rainforrest. Like matching games to what things are.

[Luana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this book would be ideal to use to teach in 1st-5th grade. I would use it to teach ecosystems. One of the ecosystems is a rain forest. This book has great illustrations and provides plenty of great facts that are true to a rain forest. This book would definitely be used for students a resource. If I were to use it, I would use it during the Explain portion of a 5E lesson plan. It introduces vocabulary and detailed information about rain forests.

[Madison Ramsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This nonfiction book was all about rainforests. It explained different types, levels, and inhabitants of the rainforest. It even talked about the potential of complete deforestation.

This book is perfect for reading while learning about ecosystems. This also calls readers to care about the destruction of the rainforests. We must protect the unique ecosystem from destruction.

[Sean Harding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another book in the Cat in the Hat's learning library this time by Bonnie Worth, another author who will appear regularly and this is another fine read and teaches about the rainforest areas. This learning library appears to be a good idea.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've been to the rainforest and cloud forest in Ecuador and it was the trip of my life. I also went to Galapagos. Somehow this book found it's way into my daughter's hands, and I was so so so happy to read it over and over to my daughter, who likes Cat In The Hat.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot and liked how the different “levels” in the rainforest were explained and explored. I liked how it felt almost like a Magic School Bus book but with The Cat in the Hat and the children. A definite must-read for children!

[Allie Reitzell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is great for teaching about habitats. There are a lot of facts in this book.

[Rani · Rating 4 out of 5]

The cat in the Hat takes you around the #rainforest #YoungReaders #PictureBook #BookReview #ChildrensBooks #amreading #nonfiction

[cindy harty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good basic information about the rainforest in rhythmic text.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Included people in the rainforest as though they are animals.

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 2 out of 5]

His name is Cat in the Hat, and he's speaking for the trees because the Lorax wasn't asked.
This obviously politically motivated book has CH taking the kids from the original Cat in Hat book on a tour by way of "Umbrellavator" thru the world's rainforest in an effort to convince readers worldwide that saving the rainforest will balance the ecosystem and save the planet, blah blah blah. They even managed to have a rhyme for the word "ecosystem". Can't we let the world destroy itself as scheduled? And what's the worst that could happen if and when the rainforest disappears? Didn't the show South Park expose this kind of thing as the big lie that it is? Thus an attempt to complete the trilogy that began with If I Ran the Zoo and If I Ran the Circus has met with failure on a global scale. And Dr Seuss is fuming in his grave, which is what publishers nowadays want.
Two stars
Progress is progress and progress must grow! How come the Cat in the Hat DOESN'T KNOW?

[Luis · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is on the rain forest. It teaches you about plants and animals. There are some mistakes with the book. First, the book insulted native people by making them look like animals so it was a bad mistake. number 2, it made it look like the native people didn’t care about the trees. They should rewrite the book and redraw the whole book, especially give them clothes. I won't recommend the book until they change it.

[Mary Tumbleson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like how the fun character of the Cat in the Hat makes this educational story fun for kids. This book is longer than I expected and also had some more complex words than I expected. The story is a good mix of being fun/funny and teaching kids about the rainforest.

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good, educational book for kids and others, with Cat in the Hat poetry. It also has a glossary and an index.

[Holly Pretzel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Though the subject matter is one of my favorites, and I learned a few things, I feel they could have spent a little more time working on this one. The rhyme is the most clunky and forced in the Learning Library series yet. With that being said, it has the simplest and most effective description of pollination I've seen.

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book for children to be interested in the English language and based on rhymes, Dr. Seuss is amazing.