Rating: *** 3 stars

Maria de Fatima Campos,
Victoria Goes to Brazil
Frances Lincoln, 2009.

Ages 5-8

Non-fiction

We met Victoria first in Victoria’s Day, wherein her mother, the author and a professional photographer, took us through a day in Victoria’s life. In this second book, we see Victoria on a trip to Brazil, her mother’s native country. While Victoria is a Down ’s syndrome child, this is not readily apparent in this second book, and it will be of most interest for school geography lessons. We start with a large map of Brazil, showing the area Victoria and her mum are to visit, and we see her excitement over the coming trip. She and mum visit friends and a large extended family in São Paolo and other cities, and we learn about the language, special foods, festivals, some of the animals, and even a shelter for street children. There is a recipe for Pastel Caipira, a pasty-type dish that Victoria has enjoyed. (Rather complicated, this.) There are lots of good photographs, both of Victoria and her family and of the various places she visits, and we see a happy child enjoying new experiences.

Elizabeth Schlenther