Rainforest Lesson Book Review

The Big Field by Anne Morddel

"Grand butterflies, bluer than the sky, dance in the air like falling hankies"

A great book to help with your Rainforest unit studies is The Big Field: A Child's year under the Southern Cross by Anne Morddel.

Spend a year on Granny's farm on the edge of the South American Atlantic Rainforest. The story takes the reader month by month through the year - finding out what it is like to live where August is cold and grey, and where January is hot!

Granny always forgets to plough the Big Field - but is it forgetfulness that causes her to scatter the field with seeds she collects form the forest?

This educational children's book is beautifully illustrated with flora and fauna of the region, and gently highlights the effect of farming on the forest. It would be a wonderful way of introducing Homeschool geography, multicultural studies, science and nature,.

To help with teaching rainforests, there is a Teachers Guide giving the background to the story as a whole - geographical location, the seasons, species information, and details of the Atlantic Rainforest - including many internet links for birds, insects, butterflies, trees and plants.

If you are looking for a book about the seasons and nature of the southern hemisphere, then this one would surely fit the bill!

Got any book recommendations for me? Got any other great resources about the rainforest? Please contact me and let me know.