Early Book Review: The Rainforest Book by Charlotte Milner

The Rainforest Book by Charlotte Milner is a children's nonfiction book currently scheduled for release on February 2 2021. Sweep aside the liana vines, hop over the giant roots of the kapok tree, and follow the sound of the howler monkey as you venture into the tropical rainforest. Find out about some of the amazing animals that live there, learn about the enormous variety of life-giving plants, and discover why the Amazon rainforest is known as the 'lungs' of our Earth. In this book, Charlotte Milner continues to highlight the important ecological issues faced by our planet, following on from The Bee Book, The Sea Book, and The Bat Book. Did you know that over half of our planet's wildlife live in the rainforest? And that at least two meters of rain falls in the rainforest every year? The world's rainforests are packed with amazing animals and plants, from the deadly poison dart frog, to the stinky rafflesia flower--there is plenty to discover! As our planet's climate crisis becomes even more critical, with forest fires raging in the Amazon, The Rainforest Book is the perfect way to introduce little nature-lovers to this enchanting yet threatened world. This celebration of the rainforest shows children just how important it is, and reminds them that it is up to us to care for our planet and its wildlife.

The Rainforest Book is a well researched, illustrated, and written book. I thought the information was very interesting, and I learned a few new things even though I thought myself well versed on the subject. I liked that the information was well rounded but straightforward with no judgement, just the facts. I thought the illustrations and page formats were very well thought out and executed. It captured, built up, and maintained my attention, and I expect it will do the same for other readers. I also liked that in all the information, there is also detailed things that can help readers make choices that will lessen their impact on the environment in general, and the rainforests specifically. There are opportunities for the readers to get hands on, and to have an impact. My only complaint is one I often have with nonfiction materials, and that is that there was no suggested reading or similarly themed addition in the endpages. I was glad for the creature index, but suggested books, websites, or organizations listed in one place at the end of the book would make me very happy.

I think fans of Milner's previous book will want to add The Rainforest Book to their collection. Readers that have not been following this collection, but love learning about nature and the environment will also get a great deal from this book.

Book Review: The Labours of Mrs Stella Ryman: Further Fairmount Manor Mysteries by Mel Anastasiou

The Labours of Mrs Stella Ryman: Further Fairmount Manor Mysteries by Mel Anastasiou is the first book I have read featuring Stella.  Replete with packet chicken noodle soup and grilled cheese, Stella Ryman paused just outside Fairmount Manor’s dining room, where she used the sleeve of her fleece warm-up suit to wipe condensation from the streaked and fog-edged windows along the corridor. There was so much springtime glory outside Fairmount — although she was not allowed out on her own to see it — and there was so much gloom inside, that she didn’t want to add to it. But she couldn’t deny that trouble had resurfaced at Fairmount Manor. When the machineries of institution fail to protect Fairmount Manor, octogenarian amateur sleuth Mrs Stella Ryman rolls up her fleece jacket sleeves to protect Fairmount from a thief, investigate a gun-toting resident, set right a mishandled investigation of a man’s death, pursue spectres and footpads walking at midnight, and discover Thelma Hu’s long-lost fortune. No good deed goes unpunished, though, and Stella will face struggles, mysteries, and sacrifices that hit her where she lives. Mrs Stella Ryman is a fish out of water, a stranger in a strange land — an amateur sleuth, trapped in a down-at-heel care home. You’d be cranky, too.

The Labours of Mrs Stella Ryman: Further Fairmount Manor Mysteries is a collection of short mysteries that are entertaining but still heart wrenching at times because the reader can see certain things happening that Stella is not aware of. I thought that the setting, characters, and mysteries were all very well built and believable. I could see these people and their problems arise in almost any similar setting. Stella might be a little directionally challenged and forgetful, but she sees to the heart of the matter and cares more for the people than the things or consequences involved. I enjoyed getting lost in Stella's world and slowing down enough to notice some subtle clues about Stella and her world along the way.

The Labours of Mrs Stella Ryman: Further Fairmount Manor Mysteries is a fun and engaging read that made me care about the characters. I plan on taking the time to read more by this author.