Africa

K-Gr 2—Though the information provided in each book is very limited, there's enough to convey a real sense of each place. The volumes' design is attractive; each vivid cover displays the continent's outline, and each volume opens with the continent highlighted and labeled on an easy-to-read world map. Organized into spreads, the books contain a few short, clearly written sentences per page; new vocabulary is in bold. In each title, excellent color photos feature informative captions that reinforce vocabulary by repeating important words or phrases from the text. Pronunciation guides are provided as needed. The last page in each volume includes a critical-thinking question developed from the final sentence. One caveat: Australia covers Aboriginal people poorly, mentioning only that they "were experts at living in the desert" but not acknowledging them as living people.