Day 5: Over In the Jungle - A Rainforest Rhyme

Okay, I'm sure I'll say this many times over the course of this blog, but I love, love, love this book!   LOVE!  This is another random library shelf find, and another book I have long had memorized.  I was shocked and disappointed to find that my local Barnes and Noble doesn't carry it, (a book this good?  Seriously?) but fortunately you can find it in both hardcover and paperback on amazon.  Phew.  Marianne Berkes has written a fabulous story about the creatures of the rainforest set to the tune of "Over in the Meadow," and has conveniently even included the music to the tune in the back of the book.  (One play through on the piano to figure out the melody and reading this story became even more fun!)  Count your way from one to ten, meeting different jungle animals and their young along the way.  There are so many things I love about this book, I hardly know where to begin.  For starters, I adore books that teach me something new.  There are so many fun and unique animals in this story, and even a little write-up about each one in the back of the book that provides even more information about their lifestyles and habits.  Did you know that honey bears and kinkajous are the same animal?  Or that marmosets are only 7-12 inches tall?  Or that leaf-cutter ants fertilize the leaves they bring back to their colony with saliva and then eat the fungus that grows on it for food?  Yeah, neither did I... until I read this book.  Now my son knows all about poison dart frogs and morpho butterflies ("They are a beautiful blue!"), ocelots and sloths.  He often asks me to sing him this song as he's falling asleep at night or when we're just driving around in the car.  What better endorsement could you ask for?  Believe it or not, though, my favorite part of this book actually might not even be any of the things I've already mentioned, but rather the illustrations.  They are AMAZING!  I'm talking seriously fabulous in every way.  Artist Jeanette Canyon created all of the imagery for this story out of relief sculptures of textured polymer clay.  There is a little write-up about her process in the back of the book -- another cool bonus!  The colors are vibrant and her attention to detail is incredible, making this one of the most creatively illustrated books I've ever seen.  Berkes has her own little featured page at the back of the book, as well, which offers ideas for other activities that you can do with your child while reading this story.  This is another book I love to give as a gift.  Check out your library to see if they have it, or better yet, get a copy of your own.   You won't be disappointed!