Rainforests

Have you heard of the Horrible Geography series of books? The Horrible Histories TV series is well-known nowadays, but I was unaware of Horrible Geography until fairly recently. Bloomin’ Rainforests (by Anita Ganeri,  llustrated by Mike Phillips) is part of this series and provides an engaging introduction to rainforests, which, whilst being accessible to children, is also interesting for adults.

I am no geographer, but I found this book fascinating. It clearly explains what a rainforest is and contains chapters on the animals and plants that thrive there, as well as some of the people who build their lives there. The last couple of chapters are important, focusing on the future of the rainforest and the dangers facing it. Overall, the book is written in a really engaging way, including cartoon-like illustrations, quizzes and a colloquial writing style which make the content really come alive and encourage the reader to interact with it, learning more in the process.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It reminded me of things I used to know as a kid and had forgotten, and taught me a few new things as well. I learnt about lianas and rafflesia, the world’s biggest flower, and that there are plants that can walk. This is a great book for kids, but I’d recommend it for adults as well – it’s a quick read and a fun, engaging way of learning more about our world.