The story ends with a very strong message about conservation versus urban development, when we are presented with an image of what the rainforest may look like in the future; the trees have been destroyed and a tourist resort has been built.

Baker's portrayal of unspoiled nature is both an eloquent plea for conservation and a visual tour de force. Have students create pictures of themselves with the characters from the book in each of the three environments, i. The illustrations cleverly conceal images of what might have been which would be excellent for KS1 students in guided reading to point out and describe. I forgot all about this book, but I am getting my own copy so that I may spend hours staring opened mouth, drooling and running my grubby mits all over this book. A boy goes on a boat trip with his father to a remote reef, where he wanders through the unspoilt rainforest, imagining the animals and people who have lived there.Open ended questions invite students to make their own personal connections to a text and allow them to move from literal to inferential thinking. Then use different colours to highlight the similarities and differences with their school environment.

It isn't my favourite book of Baker's but I do like it and I recommended it as a way to see a creators growth.The story features a little boy with a wild imagination who explores the pristine forest as his father fishes. We walk with him among the ancient trees as he pretends it is a time long ago, when extinct and rare animals lived in the forest and aboriginal children played there. Students can use any format they wish, such as a multimedia project, a play, a persuasive letter, a speech, a poster, etc.

Or take a side trip from Cairns to Kuranda into the world’s oldest continually surviving tropical rainforest with the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway, to immerse yourself in the sights, sounds, smells and tranquility of the rainforest.This is a great book to use for guided reading partly because of the beautiful illustrations in the book opens up great discussions. The reader is allowed to follow the child on his wonderful journey, exploring nature with his senses: “I sit very still and watch and listen.