World War II

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-Despite the series title, these books contain little in the way of primary sources, merely presenting snippets of documents, letters, songs, etc., in sidebars. The glossy, gray pages are difficult to read and are cluttered with too many photos, maps, and poster reproductions. In the first volume, the causes of World War II are described in one paragraph. The text and photo captions do not always correlate well. Moscow and Leningrad are discussed in the text, but the caption describes a photo from Stalingrad. Another caption describes German soldiers parading prisoners through the streets of Moscow when, in reality, the walls of that city were never breached. World War I has part of the time line out of order. The text discusses a Cenotaph, but the term is not explained in context or defined in the glossary. The biographical sketch of Woodrow Wilson incorrectly states that he was governor of New York rather than New Jersey. Attractive covers cannot salvage these brief surveys.-Eldon Younce, Harper Elementary School, KS Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.