Welcome to the green house where, day and night, the melodic prattle of exotic animals fills the air. The rich hues and tones described in the text explode in each illustration, and with every turn of the page, readers can feel the heat and vibrancy of this tropical paradise.

Reviews

In the current freshet of rainforest books, Yolen's rises to the surface not as a mere tour guide, but a gracious host to earth's ``dark green, / light green, / emerald green / bright green / copper green, / blue green, / ever-new green house.'' The author's atmosphere-laden free verse, which falls into unexpected, pleasing rhyme and repetition, correlates with Regan's sumptuous gouache artwork. While the text focuses on the relentless noise of forest inhabitants, borderless, painterly illustrations seem to spill off the pages in their intricate depictions of animals cavorting amidst tropical flora. The illustrations are just literal enough--allowing youngsters to match familiar and unknown species with names in the text. Yolen's language begs for reading aloud but for a common problem: her generous use of onomatopoetic translation of animal calls and other sounds may be difficult for readers to imitate without jarring the beauty and rhythm of the language. A stimulating challenge, however, in a strikingly vibrant package. Ages 4-8. (Apr.)

PreS-Gr 3-- Yolen explores a tropical rain forest in an entrancing poem full of internal rhyme, alliteration, and evocative images. ``But it is not all green/ in the hot green house:/ a flash of blue hummingbird,/ a splash of golden toad,/ a lunge of waking lizards,/ a plunge of silver fish . . . .'' These are only a few of the many creatures that the author catalogs and Regan depicts in her lush gouache paintings. The illustrations include all of the animals mentioned in the brief text, but readers are left to their own devices to identify the extra treats the artist includes. Ideal for introducing rain forest ecology in the primary grades, this book may be also be used by preschool teachers. Its many animal sounds and closeup views of snakes, sloths, and primates will perfectly suit their inquisitive students. A page of remarks about the continuing destruction of tropical rain forests and an address where youngsters may write to obtain information about preserving them is appended. The next best thing to a guided tour. --Ellen Fader, Westport Public Library, CT grades 3-6