Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A wide variety of titles introduce geographical and cultural topics around the globe. The Kingfisher Geography Encyclopedia by Clive Gifford begins with the formation of the earth, its rotation and its interior, and proceeds to describe its continents and countries, with maps, photos and information on population, language, government, economy, culture and more. Captioned photos offer up-close views of the salt mines nine miles southeast of Krakow, Poland, and a textile printer in Syria's second-largest city, plus a panoramic image of the Krakatoa volcano in Indonesia, between the Java and Sumatra islands.

ALA Booklist (Thu Sep 01 00:00:00 CDT 2011)

Focusing on specific time periods within American history, the books in the All about America series pack a wealth of information into an attractively designed package. Double-page spreads, enhanced with photographs, color illustrations, reproductions, artifacts, maps, and sidebars, introduce each topic in detail. Colonists and Independence traces the development of the American colonies (including the establishment of slavery), the growing unrest with England, and the new government that came out of war. All titles give careful consideration to Native American history, highlighting their displacement, noting that colonists and Indians often attacked each other, and emphasizing that more settlers died of disease than from attacks. A glossary, time line, and suggested books and websites add to this series' research value.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-8-An attractive overview of each country, continent by continent. The arrangement is logical and the format accessible. An introductory section is devoted to the physical Earth. It covers topics such as its formation, continental drift, earthquakes, volcanoes, landscaping by the elements, weather, population growth, and the environment. A spread about the future discusses the greenhouse effect, deforestation, and desertification. This section concludes with lists of data on the longest rivers, largest islands, highest mountains, and most populated cities and countries. Throughout the volume, striking color photographs and informative captions highlight the uniqueness of each locale. Still, despite the visual appeal, the cursory treatment of most countries renders this offering most suitable for browsing. The majority of the entries are confined to a page or less, including maps, photos, and generous spacing. Each listing includes a small computer-generated country map, a boxed map highlighting regional context, a reproduction of the flag, and a sidebar of fast facts. There is little information about people and how they live. The final ready-reference section employs colorful bar graphs reflecting world biomes, extinction, life expectancy, and literacy, among other topics. While not particularly useful for reports, this title is likely to inspire further research.-Barbara Auerbach, New York City Public Schools Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.