Pakistan

School Library Journal

Gr 2-3-These attractive titles use a large-sized print and colorful pictures to entice readers. Both books focus on geography, history, and daily life. The attention to history distinguishes these books from most written for beginners and makes them more challenging because the events described will be unfamiliar to most children of this age. In general, Heinrichs understands better than Hintz how to select high-interest topics and hold the attention of young readers. For example, the discussion of Russian writers from Alexander Pushkin to Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn seems beyond the grasp of this audience. Also, Hintz's use of the term "frontier" is confusing. On one page, he states that Russia shares its frontiers with 14 countries, and later states that the Ural Mountains stretch along Russia's western frontier. While some oversimplification is unavoidable, a few statements need more clarity. Pakistan is a better and more age-appropriate selection.-Elizabeth Talbot, University of Illinois, Champaign Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.