Ten of the Best Adventures in the Jungle. (Ten of the Best: Stories of Exploration and Adventure). David West. St. Catharines, ON: Crabtree, 2016. 24 pp., pbk., hc., pdf & html, $8.95 (pbk.) $18.36 (RLB). ISBN 978-0-7787-1843-7 (pbk.), ISBN 978-0-7787-1837-6 (RLB), ISBN 978-1-4271-7805-3 (pdf), ISBN 978-1-4271-7799-5 (html). Subject Headings: Jungles-Juvenile literature. Adventure and adventurers-Juvenile literature. Explorers-Juvenile literature. Grades 2-8 / Ages 7-13. Review by Deborah Mervold. **** /4

excerpt:

From 1858, Mouhot made four explorations into the interior of Siam over a period of three years to explore previously uncharted jungle territory. During his journeys he endured many hardships and faced countless dangers. While camping in the jungle he had to hide behind trees from rampaging, wild elephants. During an expedition collecting insects, he left his two servants asleep under a tree. Hearing the sound of an animal slipping through the jungle, Mouhot loaded his gun and crept back to the tree. Amazed, he saw a large and beautiful leopard about to jump on one of the sleeping servants. He fired his gun, and the two servants awoke in a state of shock to find they had just been spared from a horrific death. (From "Temples and Palaces in the Jungle", p. 16)

Ten of the Best Adventures in the Jungle is a nonfiction collection of 10 chapters each telling a story of an adventure in the jungle. Each chapter is two pages including an illustration, a small map of the area, a picture with a caption of the person from the adventure and an extra paragraph with further information about what happened after the jungle adventure. Some of the chapters focus on Gonzolo Pizarro and his search for El Dorado, Hans Staden being captured by cannibals, Mungo Park and his journey down the Niger River, and Henry Bates and his collection of some 15,000 species found in the Amazon.

     Certain words are in bold print and these are found in a glossary at the end of the book. After the glossary, there is also an index including the names of people and places.

     The text is easy to read and understand. It is told in an interesting way so that students would enjoy the chapters. The adventures take place mostly in South America and Africa and include well known individuals such as Mary Kingsley and Henry Stanley. The fonts are varied separating text, chapter titles and added information.

     The reading level of 3-4 would make this an excellent choice for many readers including reluctant readers. Because of the content and interesting presentation, it would be an excellent choice for many ages and grades. Ten of the Best Adventures in the Jungle would be an excellent addition to any collection.

Highly Recommended.

Deborah Mervold is an educator from Shellbrook, SK, with experience as a high school English teacher and teacher-librarian. Presently she is involved with post-secondary education as a faculty trainer and program development consultant at Saskatchewan Polytechnic.

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