Two-page entries describe rural library services to children in thirteen countries from Australia to Zimbabwe. A few paragraphs of accessible text describe the library operation, which is shown in several small photos. The intriguing view of libraries and children around the world will appeal to many readers.

In the U.N.EWSLUGS, we have bookmobiles and we've heard about horses used in hilly terrain, but in Thailand, elephants carry books and special metal slates so that children in rural villages can lean to read and write. ination library/classroom created by the Railway Police Division in some old train carriages, brightly painted and refurbished, serves homeless children in Bangkok. In Kenya and Mongolia, camels carry books and boats serve the purpose in Finland and Indonesia. Ruurs uses a double-paged spread with several color photos for each of 13 countries along with a fact box that includes a small regional map (not always clear), the flag, population, some general information and the language(s) spoken in each nation. One of the more unusual books about libraries, this may also get kids thinking about children in other countries in a way that the series books never do. (world map) (Nonfiction. 8-11)

Gr 3-5-Ruurs visits 13 countries and explores the manner in which librarians provide services to patrons using everything from boats and wheelbarrows to elephants. Many of the full-color photographs were actually taken by the librarians themselves. A boxed section also provides a map and basic facts about the featured country. While this is an attractive browsing item, the amount of text on each page and the textbook style of writing may discourage students from reading it cover to cover. However, with little information available about libraries of the world, this title offers a glimpse into the world of books, which several countries consider as "important as air or water." This might be an interesting revelation to many students who consider reading a laborious task and to those who take an abundance of books very much for granted.-Anne L. Tormohlen, Deerfield Elementary School, Lawrence, KS Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.