Discovering Australia's Land, People, and Wildlife

* Reviews *

Designed primarily for research, these books provide general information on the continents as well as annotated lists of high-quality Web sites that can be accessed through the publishers Web site, which requires a password given in each title. The texts read like encyclopedia articles while some of the photographs appear to have been downloaded from the sites. The contrast between the rugged, unsettled outback and the huge urban centers is highlighted in Australia. North America includes the United States, Canada, and Mexico, as well as a brief examination of the Caribbean and Central America. Describing the continent of Africa as a place where countries are independent, but the people still fight for democracy, Weintraub suggests that humanitarian organizations and foreign aid offer hope to the challenges of these nations. Each title purports to be all a student needs to write a report and wow the teacher. This is misleading, as most students will need to do more research to adequately meet todays standards of learning and should be encouraged to seek out more than a single source., School Library Journal November 2004