Cities

School Library Journal

Gr 6-10These introductory overviews present historical as well as contemporary looks at their topics. The authors examine the complexities of the issues they address; for example, Burby makes an important distinction between crisis-induced and chronic hunger. The timeliness of works consulted make these titles useful updates to previous sources. However, neither book provides specific source notes for statistics and opinions cited, and the volumes' bland format, broken up only by small, black-and-white photographs, will not attract casual browsers. Nevertheless, the indexes and tables of contents are detailed and clear. Useful additions for report writers with little previous knowledge of the subjects.Carrol McCarthy, Tower Hill School, Wilmington, DE