3 Weeks in the Rainforest
Jennifer Swanson, author
Jennifer Swanson is a science teacher and the award-winning author of more than fifty-five nonfiction books for children, including Super Gear: Nanotechnology and Sports Team Up; Brain Games; Save the Crash-Test Dummies; and Footprints Across the Planet. An accomplished and dynamic speaker, Jennifer has presented at national NSTA conferences, the World Science Festival, and the Library of Congress's National Book Festival. She is also the founder of KidLiteracy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving STEM literacy.
Read more about Jennifer.
- A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
Kirkus Reviews, starred review
Can’t travel to study a rainforest? Read the next best thing.
This exceptionally vivid account of field science in the Andes-Amazon region is also a sensitive appreciation of the role of local communities in planning conservation of their land. Swanson doesn’t underplay the threats facing this ecosystem, but she also offers hope as she explains the work of Chicago’s Field Museum. For 20 years, the museum has sent groups of scientists who, coordinating with local experts and inhabitants, conduct inventories of the area, collecting information on the wildlife and people living there; the book focuses on the inventory conducted in 2018. A map shows the destination; chapters detail the activities of the six sub-groups of scientists surveying biology, fish, plants, reptiles and amphibians, birds, and human communities. Swanson details what’s involved with selecting the four study sites, including getting there, preparing campsites, and hauling supplies, followed by accounts of long and arduous but thrilling days of “catching, counting, and photographing” while avoiding natural and human-caused dangers. She provides specific information about the study and each site; writing in an unpretentious, conversational style, she describes how scientists preserve botanical samples, catalogue specimens, and more. Spectacular color photos of specimen close-ups, scientists and community members, and the gorgeous setting will spark excitement. Swanson’s conclusions about future preservation of the Amazon are optimistic but not unrealistic.
Rich in detail, lively, and enthralling.
School Library Journal
The Andes-Amazon region is one of the most biodiverse and globally important stretches of land in the world. This land is also endangered, and losing this ecosystem could spell dramatic ends for countless endeavors, including access to medicine, food, and life in general. Luckily, teams of scientists and local representatives come together to provide Rapid Inventories to specific areas in order to better advocate for their protection and conservation. One such endeavor—a three-week exploration of a remote area of Colombia—is featured in this book. This informative, nonfiction text connects readers with an important and lesser-known scientific means of studying and protecting the Andes-Amazon region of the world. By focusing on one team and the individuals within it, the narrative-style text enhances the relatability of the process, allowing readers to better empathize with the actual people who do this important work. Rich blocks of text explain both what is happening in each setting and the reasons behind specific actions in a way that is relevant and approachable for upper-elementary school readers. Accompanying the text are multiple full-color photographs that transport readers to the rainforest environment. Incorporating a wealth of detail as well as supporting back matter, this title offers confident readers an informative look at a critical component of rainforest preservation.
VERDICT: Unique in its approach to the discussion of environmental conservation, this is a compelling, important addition to nonfiction collections for older elementary readers.–Mary Lanni
Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-62354-316-7
Ages: 8–12
Page count: 80
10 x 71/2
Publication date: October 14, 2025