A Rain Forest ABC: An Alphabet Book

Amanda Doering knows her reading audience very well and has created a nonfiction piece that should be in every primary classroom library. The reader is drawn into the brilliant full-page photographs that capture the life of the rain forest in up close shots that depict each detail. Using the ABC format, each page has the consecutive upper case letter and the lower case counterpart within the word of the object described highlighted. Such as, K is for katydid. The large K and the small k in katydid would be highlighted in the same color reinforcing that letters make up words and that words together make meaningful thoughts. The text is simple enough for the beginning readers, but contains new vocabulary and sometimes a phonemic guide to help with pronunciation. Six words are also included in a glossary at the back with definitions and pronunciation for each. I would and will be incorporating this book as a shared reading read aloud in our class study of the six biomes and follow up by keeping it in our theme choice book bin for individual reading. It could also, be incorporated for the photographs alone when we do our research for endangered animal reports. As with any ABC book, it could be used as a model to mimic the format by making a class ABC book, too. Amanda Doering has provided a book that promotes extensions and further research on rain forests by providing first an interest and second a list of recommended books and internet sites. Regardless of the usage in a classroom, this is a definite must have!