Bobbie Kalman,  
Spotlight on the Philippines; Spotlight on Italy; Spotlight on Brazil; Spotlight on South Africa (Spotlight on My Country Series)
Crabtree Publishing, 2011.

Rating: E*

These four titles are the newest additions to the Spotlight on My Country Series which takes young readers on a visual and descriptive tour of a variety of countries throughout the world. The colourful photographs and illustrations complete with captions give almost as much information as the printed text. The Table of Contents in each book makes navigation through the book very easy as well as offering topic headings under which each country could be studied in greater depth. All books have information on the country’s land, history, people, plants, animals, cities, holidays, culture, religion, and government. Then there are other sections that vary according to the unique geographical and historical aspects of each country.

The books give a good overview of each country, highlighting important features and teaching about the significant distinctions between the countries. They also give a basis for understanding how each country can be explored. All texts begin by orienting the reader to the geographic location of the specific country. This is a good introduction to the use of maps and globes for younger students.

Overall, this is a set that would be beneficial on the shelves of many classrooms, libraries, and even homes. In our ever-shrinking world children need to have a sense of how people live in other countries.

Thematic Links: Philippines; Italy; Brazil; South Africa

Victoria Pennell
Vol. 16, number 4
April 2011

*Rating System:
E - Excellent, enduring, everyone should see it!
G - Good, even great at times, generally useful!
A - Average, all right, has its applications.
P - Problematic, puzzling, poorly presented.