Scotland

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6Of these two series entries, Scotland is the better organized. It provides a good overview as to why the Scots left their native land and what they contributed to the various countries in which they settled. China and Southeast Asia, which also includes Korea, suffers from trying to cover too much ground. Its often brief coverage of topics and its chronological arrangement, with some ethnic groups appearing in several different chapters, may be confusing to students. The material focuses first on the causes for and patterns of Chinese emigration in the 1800s and early 1900s. It moves into Filipino emigration, the Communist and nationalist movements of the mid-20th century, and the recent emigration from China and the countries of former French Indochina. The map includes some city names but no pinpoint locations; Taiwan is mentioned several times in the text but does not appear on the map. Both titles are profusely illustrated with reproductions of paintings and etchings and with current and archival photos, in color and black and white, placed on spreads in a busy, almost haphazard fashion. Consider these books, particularly Scotland, only for students who need to know where else, other than in the U.S., these people settled.Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA