Book Review: Countries of the World: Mexico
This is the first in a new series from National Geographic. It is hoped that subsequent books have more of a focus. The book does a very good job at providing a wide-ranging survey of all that the country of Mexico has to offer: its history, its geography, its people, its economy, and its culture. The problem is that the presentation is rather disjointed. The book follows a roughly historical approach, with chronological discussions of the ancient Native Americans, Spanish, and American influences; but the inserts are modern and, as such, tend to jolt the reader from the chronology that has been set out. The illustrations are stunning, of course. The photos are very attractive, and the maps and charts and other graphics are very well done. Again, it's not that the reader has too little information; quite the opposite is what is being said here. The author tries to do too much in too little a space. Other books are set to be released next spring and summer. Among the countries to be covered at first are Australia, Canada, China, Egypt, Germany, Japan, Kenya, Peru. Two books to especially watch out for are Cuba and Iraq, two countries whose histories are being rewritten by the day.
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Social Studies for Kids
copyright 2002–2024
David White
