Well, darlings, after an almost 45 year wait, I have finally read "The Rain Forest" by Armstrong Sperry. I can tell you, this is one book whose cover lives up to expectations. Not all that versed in children's literature these days, but knowing that, Harry Potter aside, there is a lot of junk out there, I can proudly say this is heads and shoulders above the rest.
The plot concerns a 14-year-old New York City boy named Chad Powell. His father, an ornithologist, is doing scientific research in New Guinea, near the forest of the book's title, searching for a rare bird known as the King Of Saxony. Sperry's story follows Chad and his friend Natua ( which recalls the relationship between Johnny and Hadji on the old cartoon series "Johnny Quest") as they travel by boat to meet Chad's father--and there are plenty of adventures along the way, some which would impress even the likes of H. Rider Haggard.
With so much talk about getting boys to read, here is a book where the two main characters are believable. The story is literate without being condescending, and is decorated with the most gorgeous black and white line drawings, all done,, like the famous book cover, by Sperry himself.
The real mystery is, with all the junk out there, why this overlooked gem is not in print. That is exactly why; it HAS been overlooked. Well, darlings, it is time to get "The Rain Forest" out of the dust bin and onto book shelves again. If a middle aged adult can glean this much excitement from a rediscovered children's book, think how exciting it will be for the children themselves!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sometimes, you CAN judge a book by its cover, loves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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