Australia

November 1, 2018

Gr 5-8-A fact-filled series enriched by colorful photos, maps, contemporary drawings, prints, paintings, and informative sidebars. Each volume opens with parent-teacher resources, questions that gauge students' prior knowledge, and words they will encounter while reading. After-reading activities include comprehension questions and an extension project. The table of contents in each title lists the continent's countries (except Antarctica; Australia lists states). Topics covered include geography, history, government, economy, nature, wildlife, plants, food, and people. Highlights of each volume: a recipe representing a country (Antarctica's is a high-energy/calorie food for scientists) and an activity, usually a craft or game, typical of that country. (Antarctica has a science experiment; South America teaches the tango.) VERDICT Engaging, and conversational in tone, this series is good for report writers.

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2018
Grades 3-5 Continents and countries are a mainstay of elementary- and middle-school reports, and these entries in the Earth's Continents series (7 titles) offer the usual fare?geographic features, history, states or provinces, etc.?along with some intriguing contemporary topics, unusual facts, and plenty of helpful context. Australia showcases the country and continent's diverse wildlife (including 17 species of the world's most venomous snakes ), varied biomes and geological structures, and World Heritage sites. Notably, the author does an excellent job of explaining the history of the Aboriginal people as well as the detrimental affect European colonization had and continues to have on Australia's native population: The Australian government has taken steps to make things better, but there is more to be done. Each volume is heavily illustrated with captioned photos and closes with the usual back matter, along with a recipe and an activity. Although broad in overall scope, these introductions to continents offer enough pithy, interest-piquing facts to encourage further, deeper research elsewhere.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)