China (Economically Developing Countries)

Julia Waterlow is an experienced writer of children's books and has an expert knowledge of China and its history.

Grade 3-5-- Three books with double-page spreads of broad information (food, homes, festivals, etc.), containing roughly a page of text and a photo, accompanied by two boxes each with a photo and a purported statement from a child. These last are so pat as to smack of fictionalizing and they all begin with either ``I am . . .'' or ``My name is . . .,'' quickly settling into monotony and reaching deadly tedium by the middle of the volumes. Curiously, the children don't tell their ages, nor is it always easy to identify the interviewees in the photos. On occasion, an interesting comment is made, as in India in which a girl states, ``. . . I live in Calcutta. We don't have a real house.'' However, the obvious question raised of exactly where and how this child lives is never answered. The texts contain a modicum of information, with boldface vocabulary items of little value. Reading lists are especially egregious, containing only items from the same publisher and its affiliates. The clear, full-color pictures, on the other hand, do give interesting glimpses of life in these countries. Narrower in approach but infinitely more coherent is the ``A Family in . . .'' series (Lerner), each of which focuses on one family in a more meaningful way. For older children, the ``We Live in . . . '' series (Bookwright) provides real interviews, context, and more useful information. --John Philbrook, San Francisco Public Library
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.