Excerpt provided by Syndetics

An introduction to the geography, history, people, and customs of Spain. Excerpted from Spain by Mary Berendes All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

School Library Journal Review

Gr 2-5-Brief overviews that cover such topics as "The Land," "Plants and Animals," "Long Ago," "City Life and Country Life," "Schools and Language," "Work," "Food," "Pastimes," and "Holidays." The brevity leads to some generalizations: "Australia is known for its...bright sunshine, its strange animals, and its happy people," "Spanish people love seafood," and "South Koreans love to have fun." While the postage-stamp shaped captions give a cluttered but colorful look to the layout, they are somewhat distracting. The actual pictures, which cover three-fourths of each double-page spread, vary in quality but do help to extend the limited text. The glossaries list words that have already been adequately explained within. Overall, these titles are serviceable introductions, but the "True Book" series (Children's) remains the standard for factual information for this audience.-Eunice Weech, M. L. King Elementary School, Urbana, IL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Horn Book Review

Welcome to the stereotypical land of flamenco, matadors, and paella. A poorly written, shallow text informs us that Spaniards like soft drinks and have cars and televisions just as we do. The text is both inaccurate and condescending: There is less electricity and modern equipment in the Spanish countryside. Even so, the country people have fun and enjoy what they do. Though clear and colorful, many of the photos are outdated. Glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.