School Library Journal Review

Gr 3-5-This set offers "just the facts" information about each nation's history, geography, people, government, religions, languages, arts and entertainment, and food. Spreads contain four to five short paragraphs about each topic, resulting in some overgeneralization and superficial coverage. Most of the material is positive, but authors address pollution and environmental challenges in developing nations, as well as religious repression in Egypt. Covers feature an attractive image of a child, but most of the photos, generally one per spread, are often stock images of buildings, city and rural landscapes, foods, and leaders. All books have a country map that varies in type (physical or political) and quality. One-to-two-sentence-long "Fact!" text boxes and other sidebars add interesting trivia. VERDICT These materials provide standard introductory content but don't improve on the many extant choices available and should be considered supplemental choices for reports. © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.