The Middle East (Kingfisher Knowledge)
Grade 4-7–A concise overview of the history and culture of the region, defined as the countries of Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, the Palestinian territories, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman, the Gulf states, Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan. The text is brief but informative, and current political controversies are touched on in an age-appropriate and evenhanded manner. Go further… sidebars offer suggested readings, definitions, and museums. A chart with basic facts and statistics about each country is appended. However, the real strength of this book is the appealing graphic design and the excellent-quality color photographs throughout. This would be a good choice for middle graders or reluctant readers doing research on this subject, though students needing more in-depth information would be better served by individual titles in the Enchantment of the World series (Children's Press).–Kathleen E. Gruver, Burlington County Library, Westampton, NJCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.