Oregon

School Library Journal

Gr 3-5-Each title is made up of spreads that include a yellow map with a dotted line and a car, implying a route for a family trip. Places that are not part of a particular journey are also indicated. However, the routes don't appear to follow real highways. For example, in Oregon the pages concerning the Oregon Trail mention the End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center in Oregon City, but not the one in Baker City, another great museum on this subject, and the fact that the dotted line goes many miles south of the Trail instead of following it makes no sense. The texts are written in a chatty style but offer sketchy information. Other series are available that give students more of the facts and figures that they needs for reports, such as "Hello U.S.A." (Lerner), "From Sea to Shining Sea" (Children's Press), "Celebrate the States" (Benchmark), and "America the Beautiful" (Children's Press).-Elaine Lesh Morgan, Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.