West African Kingdoms (Ancient Civilizations (Raintree Steck-Vaughn).)

From School Library Journal
Grades 3-5--An introductory, large-print look at the West African Empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. Through clear language and a logical structure, Nelson briefly presents the history, events, and cultures of nearly 1000 years. Although the coverage is mainly a broad summary, it manages to give readers a sense of the underlying issues and the progression from one empire to the next. The maps feature the northern and western portions of the African continent. They are very simple and show the areas covered by each of the empires as well as the major cities, trade routes, and Lake Chad. However, they do not include rivers, lakes, or other topography mentioned in the text. The index is very brief and although there is an entry for Allah, there are no entries for Muslim or Islam. These omissions may hinder students writing reports or looking for fast facts. The book is an adequate beginning, but older students will be better served by Kenny Mann's Ghana, Mali, Songhay: The Western Sudan (Dillon, 1996; o.p.).Genevieve Gallagher, New York Public LibraryCopyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Card catalog description
Discusses the history of four important African kingdoms: Ghana, Mali, Zimbabwe, and Songhay.


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Gr 3-5-An introductory, large-print look at the West African Empires of Ghana, Mali, and Songhay. Through clear language and a logical structure, Nelson briefly presents the history, events, and cultures of nearly 1000 years. Although the coverage is mainly a broad summary, it manages to give readers a sense of the underlying issues and the progression from one empire to the next. The maps feature the northern and western portions of the African continent. They are very simple and show the areas covered by each of the empires as well as the major cities, trade routes, and Lake Chad. However, they do not include rivers, lakes, or other topography mentioned in the text. The index is very brief and although there is an entry for Allah, there are no entries for Muslim or Islam. These omissions may hinder students writing reports or looking for fast facts. The book is an adequate beginning, but older students will be better served by Kenny Mann's Ghana, Mali, Songhay: The Western Sudan (Dillon, 1996; o.p.).-Genevieve Gallagher, New York Public Library Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.


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