Maya

April 1, 2015

K-Gr 2-Similar to Children's Press's "True Books" titles, this series offers the very basics. Each title is divided into about a dozen spreads, each of which focuses on a single subject (where a tribe lived, what it ate, gender roles, and so on). The verso contains the text while the recto features a captioned illustration. The text is rendered in a plain font and reads in short, declarative sentences. Occasional "Did You Know?" sidebars offer tidbits: "During stomp dances, women wore turtle shell rattles on their legs. Their movements helped set the beat." Unfortunately, for the most part, all of the important dates appear at the end of each title, so it is not immediately clear when these tribes first originated. Stunning, high-resolution photographs marry well with the text and make each title instantly attention-grabbing. VERDICT Simple and solid introductions.

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