Jungle Days, Jungle Nights

Martin Jordan's sumptuous, atmospheric oil paintings are unusual and elegant enough to make this large-format picture book stand out from the glut of rain-forest books that have flooded the children's book scene. The paintings combine dramatic composition and brilliant colors with accurate detail. Equally engaging is Tanis Jordan's graceful, informative narrative, which takes the reader through a year in the rain forest. The narrative begins with the dry season and goes on to describe the rainy season. Brief, clearly written text introduces aspiring naturalists to the Orinoco crocodile who swallows stones in order to sink underwater; the heleconius butterfly, whose larval diet of passion flower leaves keeps the matured insect safe from predators; and the leafcutter ants who keep their own gardens. This fascinating volume invites rereading. Ages 4-9. (Oct.)