The Cherokees

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-Using photos, reproductions, and drawings, these three books briefly describe the history and present-day lives of three Native nations. Each title includes a recipe and a listing of historical and cultural places to visit. Most of the Web sites are official sites of the nations and are not age-appropriate; only one of them has a children's page. Cherokees occasionally oversimplifies, especially with regard to the Indian Removal Act and the Trail of Tears. Navajos includes two poorly reproduced historical photographs. Iroquois is potentially the most confusing since it attempts to explain the Confederacy of the Six Nations. Sometimes the text is not specific about whether the information provided applies to a specific member nation or the whole group. While there is nothing wrong with these books, the corresponding titles in the "Native American Peoples" series (Gareth Stevens) do a better job covering the same material.-S K Joiner, Brazoria County Library System, Angleton, TX Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.