Vietnam

School Library Journal

Gr 4-6-Readers interested in finding detailed information on the country will be disappointed in this title. While chapters are devoted to its landscape and climate, natural resources, population, daily life, the economy, the environment, and the future of the country, there is no focused attention on its history. Instead, it is spread throughout the book with no definitive time line. Ho Chi Minh is barely mentioned and only a few paragraphs are dedicated to the Vietnam War. The text is clear and the layout is well done. One confusing point, however, is the use of the metric system with a conversion table in the back of the book, requiring readers to stop and do mathematical calculations, if they even realize that it's there. This is sure to leave American children clueless as to the meaning of the statistics, unless they are willing to do the math or, in the case of younger readers, are even capable of doing it. Beautiful photographs, colorful maps, and supportive charts, graphs, and diagrams create excellent visual aids, but the lack of commonly sought information will leave readers searching for other resources such as Terri Willis's Vietnam (Children's Press, 2002).-Amanda Conover Le, St. Johns County Public Library System, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.