there lived a jungle ...
Once upon a jungle,
marched some ants.
Once upon some ants,
preyed a mantis.
Once upon a mantis,
a lizard snacked."
If you have plans for a jungle journey, you would do well to have a look at the beauty of your destination in this spectacular book. If not, you would do well to use it as a learning guide to the food chain that exists in such an ecosystem.
The depth of color, the information provided and the cumulative nature of the telling are equal parts of this engaging picture book. A food web is dependent on all of its parts working together. This one begins with a diligent group of ants, together hauling an abundance of food along a sturdy blade of grass. A praying mantis is in the perfect spot for a quick meal. The mantis, in turn, is lunch for a sticky-tongued lizard ... and so on. The last link in this chain is a panther. As happens to living things, the panther ages and dies, leaving nourishment for beetles and eventually, the soil. The richness of the soil encourages growth of plants that will keep the jungle a viable and productive system.
Excellent word choice, perfectly placed text, and exceptional artwork will bring little ones back to this book repeatedly. The two fold out pages at the end show other life found in the jungle, as well as 'The Story of a Food Chain'. The brightly colored illustrations boast different perspectives and an invitation to return to find what might have been missed the first time around - in fact, an endnote delivers a challenge.
"Look through the book again. See if you can spot which are the producers, consumers and decomposers."
Wow! This is perfect nonfiction for little ones. They will soon be reading it on their own.
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