Joining the Rodeo

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-- The series could more accurately be called ``The People and Customs of . . . '' since history, geography, culture, and agriculture comprise half of the books. The remaining half is devoted to a few menus that offer 12 representative recipes. A map is included, and there is a full-color photograph on each page. Covering such a broad topic in such brief presentations necessitates sketchy coverage, but the information is clear as well as simple, providing adequate introductions to the countries. These titles closely resemble the ``Food and Drink'' series (Bookwright); thus, it is not necessary to have both of them. For a more focused, thorough, and lively treatment of food in Israel, Spain, and many other countries, turn to the ``Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks'' series (Lerner). --Carolyn Jenks, formerly at Oyster River Elementary School, Durham, NH