“Tropical Plant Collecting – From the Field to the Internet" by Scott Mori
An extraordinary book by an extraordinary man! If you want to learn a) the difference between a monograph and a flora, b) how to tie a hammock, c) what it looks and feels like to be stung – repeatedly – in the face by tropical wasps, d) why there are so many species in the rainforest, e) lots of other fun, insightful, and unusual facts, then this is the book for you. An unusual book – part autobiography, part field manual, part rumination on the future of the forest – this volume belongs on the shelf of everyone interested in the tropics. In fact, anyone traveling to the Neotropics needs to have this book and Kricher’s “Neotropical Companion” in their backpack.
“Rainforests” by Rhett Butler
There exists no shortage of children’s books on the rainforest – and many of them seem to have been written by folks who spent little or no time in these tropical ecosystems. This new book is a welcome exeption to this rule. Rhett Butler is an investigative journalist who runs the highly regarded Mongabay site. He travels the world, studying and writing about tropical rainforest plants, animals and people. This book is one of the results of these labors, and is chock full of correct information, crisp writing, and excellent photographs. It belongs on every kid’s bookshelf and classrooms, grades 1 to 12.
