18 Amazing Rainforest Animals Books for Preschoolers

My kids were always intrigued by the rainforest. There’s something really exciting about a place where it rains almost every day, the trees create a canopy overhead, and plants can grow as big as people.

In addition, learning about the wide variety of rainforest animals keeps kids engaged in the lessons and discussions. From sloths to monkeys and toucans to poison dart frogs, many of our favorite animals come from the rain forest.

So, if you’ve got a child who loves animals, loves the rainforest, or just loves reading, encourage them to learn about rainforest animals with this great collection of picture books.

If you've got a child who loves animals or the rainforest, encourage them to learn about rainforest animals with this great collection of picture books.

ABC Rainforest

Through magnificent images, kids will encounter a diverse range of rainforest flora and fauna, from flying foxes and gorillas to kapok trees, leaf cutter ants, orchids, and X-ray Tetra Fish. What a wonderful way to introduce children to the world of nature and conservation—and their ABCs, too!

Nature’s Green Umbrella

We’re off to the rain forest in Gibbons’ newest addition to her nonfiction library. With the simple style and bold format that characterize her books, Gibbons not only explains the complex ecosystem of tropical rain forests and their importance to the global ecology, but also explores related issues concerning the preservation and protection of the forests as natural resources.

Tropical Rain Forest

Bats and big cats. Armies of ants. Squawking parrots. Strangling figs. From the ground up to the tree tops, the tropical rainforest teems with life. Stunning drawings, step-by-step experiments, fun-to-do activities, and fascinating facts abound in this magical exploration of an essential ecosystem, in danger of disappearing forever.

In the Rainforest

The rainforest is home to millions of plant and animal species. Some animals live high up in the trees, some crawl across the forest floor, and some tunnel underground, but they all depend on one another and the rain to survive.

We’re Roaming in the Rainforest

Three children embark on a day-long trek through the rainforest, discovering all sorts of exotic creatures in their natural habitats. The charming, rhyming text highlights an adjective for each creature.

The Umbrella

When Carlos drops his umbrella to climb a tree for a better view of the animals, they all cram into the banana-leaf umbrella as it floats by–from the little tree frog to the baby tapir to the big jaguar and more. It gets so crowded in the umbrella that there isn’t even enough room for a little hummingbird! So over the umbrella tumbles, everyone falls out, and poor Carlos comes back wondering why he didn’t see any animals all day.

What’s Up in the Amazon Rainforest

Where in the world will you find 427 different types of mammals, 1,294 birds, 2,200 fishes, 378 reptiles, 428 amphibians, and about 1 million insects? The Amazon Rainforest, of course!

The Jungle Book

Young Mowgli loves growing up in the jungle with his animal friends. But what happens when he is told that he must go live in the Man-village?

The Great Kapok Tree

A man beginning to cut down a great kapok tree falls asleep at its roots. While he dreams, the animals that depend on the tree beg him to reconsider.

Rainforest Animals for Kids

The rainforest is a big, magical place to explore. It is the home of many wild and even endangered animals.

Alphabet Book Of Animals

This book about rainforest animals is for kids of all ages as it helps younger children to learn the letters of the alphabet in large bold colorful print, as well as discover interesting animals that they may or may not have seen before.

Who Lives Here? Rain Forest Animals

The rain forest is home to amazing animals whose bodies are built for living among the tall trees and lush green plants. Toucans, emerald tree boas and jaguars all have special ways of finding food, staying safe and raising their young in a warm, wet tropical forest.

Over in the Jungle

Kids will sing, clap, and count their way among monkeys that hoot, ocelots that pounce, parrots that squawk, and boas that squeeze! It will not take much to have your child joyfully hooting and squawking too. And the illustrations are painstakingly all done in polymer clay and then photographed, giving a 3-D effect.

The Rainforest Grew All Around

The jungle comes alive as children learn about a wide variety of the animals (jaguars, emerald tree boas, leafcutter ants, sloths, poison dart frogs, toucans, and bats) and plants (kapok trees, liana vines, and bromeliads) living in the lush Amazon rainforest.

If I Ran the Rain Forest

The Cat in the Hat takes Sally and Dick for an “umbrella-vator” ride through the understory, canopy, and emergent layers of a tropical rain forest, encountering a host of plants, animals, and native peoples along the way.

Smart Kids: Rainforest

A large-format book introducing children to the animals, flora, and fauna which inhabit our planet’s rainforests. With amazing, close-up photographs, and accessible, easy-to-absorb fascinating facts about the plant life and creatures featured.

Rain Forest Colors

Yellow spiders! Blue butterflies! Green lizards! Get little kids started on learning with a color concept book that will knock their little socks off! It features their favorite animals that illustrate 10 basic colors.

Which of these books about rainforest animals will you read first?

More Book Collections You’ll Enjoy

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30 awesome farm animal books for preschoolers! These are great for preschoolers and kindergarteners who are learning about animals and life on the farm!

Tara

Tara is the brains behind Homeschool Preschool, where her journey from preschool and public school teacher to homeschooling mom of three fuels her passion for early childhood education. With a blend of expertise and firsthand experience, Tara’s writings offer practical tips and engaging resources to support families in creating meaningful learning adventures at home.