Visually attractive but incomplete and weakened by cultural insensitivity.
A plethora of facts about the U.S. states and territories for young information browsers and trivia surfers.
The highly visual, energetic layout of this guide keeps a dense mix of photos, graphics, and typefaces clear and accessible and packs in plenty of information about curious state-specific phenomena. Each state’s four-page section spotlights, among other things, a map silhouette, a dessert, a state food, a ride (most often in an amusement park), and some state facts (including bird, nickname, and date of statehood). Flags are not included. Also included are facts labeled the “Oldest in America” (mostly European settlements and structures) and “Spookiest Spot.” “Horrifying History” features natural disasters, accidents, war, and violent human tragedies. Mostly missing are scientific inventions and discoveries—other than geological or paleontological—as well as celebration of racial diversity (Chinese and African Americans are mentioned in the context of tragic massacres). While many state names originate from Indigenous languages, this is not consistently acknowledged. More troubling is the casual positioning of Indian names as humor—Kickapoo, Louisiana, for instance, is presented as a “Funniest Town Name”—or worse. Slaughter Beach, Delaware, is given the same label, followed by an explanation that it may refer to the killing of Native residents. The 9-foot statue of Duke Kahanamoku in Waikiki is given as Hawaii’s “Weirdest Roadside Attraction.”
Visually attractive but incomplete and weakened by cultural insensitivity. (index, illustration credits) (Nonfiction. 7-10)Pub Date: May 18, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-62795-167-8
Page Count: 216
Publisher: Shelter Harbor Press
Review Posted Online: April 13, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2021
Go adventuring with a better guide.
Find something to do in every state in the U.S.A.!
This guide highlights a location of interest within each of the states, therefore excluding Washington, D.C., and the territories. Trivia about each location is scattered across crisply rendered landscapes that background each state’s double-page spread while diminutive, diverse characters populate the scenes. Befitting the title, one “adventure” is presented per state, such as shrimping in Louisiana’s bayous, snowshoeing in Connecticut, or celebrating the Fourth of July in Boston. While some are stereotypical gimmes (surfing in California), others have the virtue of novelty, at least for this audience, such as viewing the sandhill crane migration in Nebraska. Within this thematic unity, some details go astray, and readers may find themselves searching in vain for animals mentioned. The trivia is plentiful but may be misleading, vague, or incorrect. Information about the Native American peoples of the area is often included, but its brevity—especially regarding sacred locations—means readers are floundering without sufficient context. The same is true for many of the facts that relate directly to expansion and colonialism, such as the unexplained near extinction of bison. Describing the genealogical oral history of South Carolina’s Gullah community as “spin[ning] tales” is equally brusque and offensive. The book tries to do a lot, but it is more style than substance, which may leave readers bored, confused, slightly annoyed—or all three. (This book was reviewed digitally with 12.2-by-20.2-inch double-page spreads viewed at 80% of actual size.)
Go adventuring with a better guide. (tips on local adventuring, index) (Nonfiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-7112-5445-9
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Wide Eyed Editions
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
BOOK REVIEW
The large format and attractive, cartoonlike illustrations provide an inviting look at a country not often included in many...
Three cousins representing the diverse cultural groups who inhabit the Philippines take readers on a tour of the many islands that make up the archipelago.
Mary, Jaime, and Ari are the offspring of three sisters from the Ifugao people of Luzon, but their fathers are of Chinese, Spanish, and Muslim Arab descent. This device lends an artificial, idealized spin to the diversity question, but it gets the job done. No mention is made of the contemporary rise of Muslim separatists, although the section on history notes that the Americans “impos[ed] their style of democratic authority.” The emphasis is on cultural activities, including religious holidays, and favorite foods (with recipes for pancit, a noodle dish; polveron, a candy made from powdered milk; and halo-halo, a combination of fruits and beans with ice, sugar, and milk). There are descriptions of games including sipa, which is similar to hacky sack, with directions for making your own sipa, and sungka, also known as mancala in Africa and the Middle East. Unfortunately, instructions are not clear enough to really play. The only craft is a modified parol, a Christmas decoration. A creation myth and one song are included, but the book’s real strength is the description of activities and life in different parts of the country.
The large format and attractive, cartoonlike illustrations provide an inviting look at a country not often included in many other resources for children. (websites, index ) (Nonfiction. 7-10)Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-8048-4072-9
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Tuttle
Review Posted Online: July 26, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2015
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