Thanks to the famous animated film The Lion King, many of us are accustomed to the concept of the ‘Circle of Life’ but what about those who are new to reading and have no clue what either a circle is, or what life means?

For them, there is always the Hello, World! board book series which teaches toddlers and babies everything they need to know.

In this series’ Rainforest Animals book, young readers would get to know the amazing world of a rainforest, in simple words and easy-to-understand illustrations. It can be a wonderful gift for children because it is comprised of facts about the incredible animals who make the rainforest their home.

What makes this book special is the fact that it has been written for youngsters who are new to reading. By addressing them directly, writer Jill McDonald acts as a teacher explaining the scenario to the young ones. She begins the book by telling them to get ready for a journey through the rainforest and then walks them around without leaving their seats.

On her way through the forest, she keeps telling them why the rainforest is important, which crawling insects can be found in the wild, and why they are crucial to the circle of life. It is through her that the readers find out that a giant anteater has no teeth, that a gorilla has very long arms, what a red-eyed tree frog is and what differentiates a jaguar from other cats.

The trip doesn’t end there, as you will get to meet a snake named boa constrictor, a howler monkey who is the loudest land animal, and a sloth who is the slowest-moving mammal in the world. And if you are lucky enough, you might even meet the scarlet macaw, a kind of parrot with bright-coloured feathers.

One must commend the way the author describes the sounds these animals make and the illustrator draws the animals to make them look attractive, because it engages both the parents and the kids. Parents because they are reading the text and kids because it is to them the book is being read.

There is a complete picture of a tree at the end of the book which explains which animals live in which part of the tree to give you an idea of their whereabouts. If this book is able to make you want to visit a rainforest, then it has served its purpose and it will be a good reminder when your parents are planning to take you out to someplace new.

Published in Dawn, Young World, October 28th, 2023