The rain forest is a wonderful habitat to study with kids of all ages. In the rain forest, there are many different types of animals and plants to learn about. You can also talk about why we need to protect these areas. Books are a great way to begin a unit on the rain forest or to teach little ones about this unique habitat. Below we have a list of books that include fiction and nonfiction books about the rain forest.
Rain Forest Books
More Resources for Little Book Lovers
The best way to encourage a love of reading is to provide kids with many opportunities to engage with a wide variety of books that are of interest to them. That’s why we share so many books lists on Fantastic Fun and Learning. We want to make it easy for you to find great books your kids will love. Over the years we’ve also discovered some helpful tools for connecting kids and books.
Digital libraries are one very handy way to do this. Epic! is one of our favorite online libraries. It’s full of over 25,000 books, learning videos, quizzes and more for kids 12 and under…and it’s free for educators. Click here to learn more and sign up.
Book Boxes are another fun way to get kids excited about reading. What kid doesn’t love to get a special delivery in the mail?! The crew over at Bookroo finds the best little known books that you won’t already have in your library, and they send them to you each month. Take a peak inside a Bookroo Box here.
Book-Based Activities are also a lot of fun for kids. Jodie over at Growing Book by Book has saved us all a ton of time and created a full year of Book-Based Activity Calendars so that you can extend the fun with a special book each week.
FIND ALL OF OUR VEGETABLE ACTIVITIES IN OUR PRINTABLE LESSON PLANS
FOR HOME PRESCHOOL AND PRESCHOOL CLASSROOMS.
The Great Kapok Tree by Lynn Cherry – In the story of the Great Kapok Tree, a man trying to chop down the Kapok Tree has many visitors while he naps. All the animals that live in or around the tree or depend on the tree visit the man and whisper to him reasons why he should leave the tree alone. I love the detailed illustrations and almost hidden animals that you can find throughout the pages.
Here in the Tropical Rain Forest by Madeleine Dunphy – Here in the Tropical Rain Forest is story that repeats on each page adding a new character to the mix. I like how the story seems to take a step back with each page and shows you a larger picture of what is happening. The monkeys drip the figs, the pigs eat the dropped figs, the jaguar hunts the pigs, and so on.
Rain Forest Colors by Janet Lawler – Rain Forest Colors is a great book to use with little ones that are learning their colors and older ones that want to know more about rainforest animals. Each double page shows a brightly colored animal along with interesting facts. I love the “Did you know?” on each page. This takes the book from a book for kids just about colors to a book that really teaches about the rainforest.
A Rain Forest ABC: An Alphabet Book by Barbara Knox – I love the alphabet books that show photographs of the animals and this book has very colorful and bright pictures that feature rain forest animals for each letter. Each animal includes a few facts so your child can learn a bit more about the animal. This book is also included in our Animal ABC list.
The Rainforest Grew All Around by Susan K. Mitchell – The Rainforest Grew All Around is a nursery rhyme/song many kids know as “The Green Grass Grew All Around”. This version instead talks about a seed in the rainforest and the plants and animals you will see there as it grows. The illustrations are detailed and show the beauty of the rainforest. I love this song and this unique twist on the original.
The Umbrella by Jan Brett – A list of books about the rainforest would not be complete without The Unbrella by Jan Brett. This is a fun and silly story of a boy who leaves his umbrella on the ground so he can climb a tree to see animals in the rainforest. The animals have an adventure piling into the umbrella. This is a classic Jan Brett book with colorful and detailed illustrations that readers will love.
Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme by Marianne Berkes – Over in the Jungle is a fun rhyming book that includes different animals and counting. This traditional rhyme has been done in many different habitats, swamp and ocean for example. I love this book because the illustrations are very unique; each picture was carved in clay and then photographed. The photos are colorful and look 3D.
Who Grows Up in the Rain Forest? by Theresa Longenecker – Who Grows Up in the Rainforest? is an informational book about animal babies that are found in the rainforest. Each page features a simple illustration of the baby and it’s mother and information about the baby. At the end of the book, there is additional information about each animal such as where they live, words to know, and extra facts.
Kinkajous (Jungle Babies of the Amazon Rain Forest) by Rachel Lynette – Kinkajous is a long tailed animal that you might of never hear of, but this animal lives in the rainforest and this book will introduce you to their world. The book includes maps, diagrams and information about the Kinkajous as a baby, their home and much more. Jungle Babies of the Amazon Rain Forest includes the following books.
South American Tapirs (Jungle Babies of the Amazon Rain Forest) by Rachel Lynette
Squirrel Monkeys (Jungle Babies of the Amazon Rain Forest) by Rachel Lynette
Pink River Dolphins (Jungle Babies of the Amazon Rain Forest) by Rachel Lynette
Three-Toed Sloths (Jungle Babies of the Amazon Rain Forest) by Rachel Lynette
Capybaras (Jungle Babies of the Amazon Rain Forest) by Rachel Lynette
Jaguars (Jungle Babies of the Amazon Rain Forest) by Rachel Lynette
Giant River Otters (Jungle Babies of the Amazon Rain Forest) by Rachel Lynette
Jaguar (A Day in the Life: Rain Forest Animals) by Anita Ganeri – Jaguar is a great book to use when introducing a specific rainforest animal. The book includes photographs of a jaguar throughout its day and basic facts. Other books in the A Day in the Life: Rain Forest Animals series are listed below.
Tarantula (A Day in the Life: Rain Forest Animals) by Anita Ganeri
Piranha (A Day in the Life: Rain Forest Animals) by Anita Ganeri
Howler Monkey (A Day in the Life: Rain Forest Animals) by Anita Ganeri
Anaconda (A Day in the Life: Rain Forest Animals) by Anita Ganeri
Poison Dart Frog (A Day in the Life: Rain Forest Animals) by Anita Ganeri
Capybara (A Day in the Life: Rain Forest Animals) by Anita Ganeri
Orangutan (A Day in the Life: Rain Forest Animals) by Anita Ganeri
Macaw (A Day in the Life: Rain Forest Animals) by Anita Ganeri
Lemur (A Day in the Life: Rain Forest Animals) by Anita Ganeri
GET A FULL WEEK OF RAIN FOREST THEME LEARNING AND PLAY
Save time and get right to the playful learning with our printable lesson plan sets. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provided different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.
This set includes active hands-on learning ideas and the following printables:
1) Rain Forest Letter Puzzles (in color and black and white)
2) Rain Forest Number Cards (0-35 in color and black and white)
3) Rain Forest Emergent Reader (in color and black and white)
4) Rain Forest Animal Picture Cards (in color and black and white)
5) Rain Forest Animal Word Cards (in color and black and white)
6) Rain Forest Foods Taste Test Recording Sheet (in color to print poster size and black and white to print for individual responses)
7) Put the Animal in the Rain Forest Math Game (Counting and Addition)
GET YOUR LESSON PLANS
Home Preschool Rain Forest Theme Lesson Plans
Preschool Classroom Rain Forest Theme Lesson Plans
All of our products are also available on Teachers Pay Teachers if you prefer to shop there.
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