If you are putting together a jungle or rain forest unit study for your children, a stack of bright colorful picture books is always a great place to start! Since most of our kids are unlikely to experience a tropical rain forest during their childhood, these jungle books for kids are just what you need.


A quick note:

You’ll notice that most of these books are about rain forests. Since all jungles are forests, this is a great conversation to have with your kids who can understand. “Jungle” is a casual term, while “rainforest” is the more scientific one.


Jungle and Rain Forest Books for Kids

12 Jungle Books for Kids

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Start with a broad non-fiction book that introduces different aspects of the tropical habitat.

Our library had Tropical Climates by Cath Senker.

Other good non-fiction books are:

We Both Read About the Rain Forest by Heather Johnanasen and Sindy McKay

Rain Forests: A Magic Tree House Research Guide by Will and Mary Pope Osborne

In the Rain Forest by Catherine Nichols

Up a Rainforest Tree by Carole Telford and Rod Tehodorou

Predators in the Rain Forest by Saviour Pirotta

Our kids also enjoy reading fiction jungle books! Here are some of our favorites:

Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme by Marianne Berkes

“Slowly,  Slowly,  Slowly,” Said the Sloth by Eric Carle.

The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rain Forest by Lynne Cherry

We’re Roaming the Rainforest by Laurie Krebs

 

Secrets of the Rainforest: A Shine a Light Book

By the way, have you heard of cloud forests? I picked up this book at the library, all about the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica:

The Forest in the Clouds by Sneed B. Collard III


And one “eh” book:

Most lists of recommended jungle books for kids include Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae. And while it is a completely cute book, I just can’t get over the fact that (gasp!) it’s not even about jungle animals. In case you want to check it out for yourself, click here:


If you have a favorite jungle book, I would love for you to leave it in the comments! And if you’re looking for any jungle-related learning activities, be sure to check our latest family activity guide, now available in The Play School Club.

Jungle Habitat Activities for Toddlers and Preschoolers


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12 Fun Jungle Books for Kids