Laos

School Library Journal

Gr 6-9--In organization and style, Laos follows the predictable and successful strategy of other titles in the series. A detailed index, Facts at a Glance list, and chronology make information ac cessible to report writers, who will cer tainly be the primary users of this book. The emphasis is on history and the complicated political situation of the 20th century, as well as on the physical geography and the ethnic and cultural composition of modern Laos. The dy namics of the rain forest are described in detail. The book is up-to-date; the former Burma is referred to by its pre sent name, Myanmar, and the 1989 elections, the first since 1975, are dis cussed. Full-color photographs are striking; those in black and white are well chosen, if poorly reproduced. One error is the statement, twice, that Laos admitted tourists in 1989 for the first time since the 1950s. (This reviewer spent one week in Laos in 1974, shortly before the Pathet Lao victory in 1975 did indeed close the doors.) Personal experience aside, this will be a valuable resource for those studying culture and countries of the world.--Susan Middle ton, LaJolla Country Day School, CA