The Most Beautiful Roof in the World: Exploring the Rainforest Canopy

by Kathryn Lasky and Christopher G. Knight

Since she was six years old, Meg Lowman has known that she wanted to be a scientist... read more

Since she was six years old, Meg Lowman has known that she wanted to be a scientist who studied the natural world. Inspired by the life work of two role models, Harriet Tubman (whom Lowman calls a "pioneer field naturalist") and scientist Rachel Carson, she has dedicated her life to exploring the unknown world of the rainforest canopy, unknown because it has been more inaccessible to scientists than the ocean floor. But Lowman doesn't let inaccessibility stand in her way. She uses technical rock climbing equipment to reach an elaborate system of platforms in order to gather specimens. The extremes to which she goes frequently pay off as she has been able to make first-hand observations of an ecosystem about which little is known. Lasky's eloquent text is accompanied by lush photographs of the scientist at work. Her account interweaves Lowman's field work, documentation and analysis, and her home life with two young sons who share their mother's passion for the rainforest. (Ages 7-11)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 1997

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