Somalia

April 1, 2015

Gr 4-6-High quality photos are the strongest component of this set. Each book opens with the location of the country and an almost featureless map, followed by spreads that describe its land, people, unique wildlife, schools, industry, food, recreation, sports, and holidays. Upbeat coverage glosses over or ignores difficult topics such as civil war in Lebanon and Somalia or the Soviet domination of Hungary. The layout is attractive, with a paragraph or two of text and a large color photo on each page. "Fun Facts" sidebars provide interesting trivia, a language chart introduces a few phrases, and a "Fast Facts" section adds basic report statistics. These titles are eye-catching, but readers are likely to be frustrated when they can't locate mentioned places on the map The content is standard fare, and the books don't offer a fresh take. VERDICT Supplemental report choices.

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