The Masai of Africa (First Peoples)
Grade 3-6-These books focus on the indigenous people of Australia  and East Africa. Appealing cover photographs feature an adult  and child and the pages are framed to create a photo-album look.  The texts begin with information on the land, plants, and  animals to set a framework for how people live before moving on  to history and current cultural practices (home life, music and  dance, crafts, language, and religion). Bartlett provides a  fairly straightforward look at the treatment of Aboriginal  peoples by the Australian government and the measures that have  been taken to restore tribal rights, land, and relationships.  The focus on Masai life centers a bit more on the land, animals,  and early inhabitants of the area. Although the texts do not  provide enough information for in-depth reports, the colorful  pictures are intriguing. Unfortunately, there are no  pronunciation guides. Libraries that need to fill collection  gaps would do well to consider these titles.Jeanette Larson,  Texas State Library, AustinCopyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.