The Great Kapok Tree, A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest, by Lynne Cherry, is very educational. It takes you right to the middle of the rain forest, the pictures are so detailed.
This book is about a man who comes to the forest to chop down a great Kapok tree. But after he takes a few whacks with his ax, he falls asleep. And all the animals, including a kid from a rain forest tribe, give him reasons why he should not cut down the tree. The reasons are good ones.
In first grade my class did a rain forest play based on this one book. Each of us was a different animal, and we added animals that weren't even in the book, like a harpy eagle (my character).
I would give this book an age rating of 3 and up as a read aloud. Hope you like it!
