G'Day Australia!

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Reviewed with April Pulley Sayre's South America, Surprise! Gr. 3-5. Sayre, an experienced writer of both science and social studies books, takes on the continents in this seven-volume Our Amazing Continents series. Although there isn't a great deal of information, what's here is presented with lots of verve. The format is attractive; main ideas are in large type, and the pictures, with very brief captions, are high quality. Some of the shots are quite riveting--an anteater investigating a termite hill--and they do a good job of visualizing Sayre's economical text, which offers a wide-angle perspective on a continent's topography and a few brief comments about cultural diversity and animal life. After explaining that Australia is a country that covers a continent, Sayre conducts an armchair traveler's tour from Tasmania to the Great Dividing Range and on to the Great Barrier Reef, noting interesting tidbits about the environment. South America is similarly organized, though a few of the photos are weak. Each volume has two helpful color maps, but unfortunately, there's no list of further resources, so kids can follow up on what Sayers introduces. Stephanie Zvirin
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Card catalog description
Introduces the continent of Australia, looking at its geography, plant and animal life, weather, and settlement by humans.


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Australia is the smallest continent and it is also the name of a country. It is well known for its unusual animals: kangaroos, platypuses, wombats, dingoes, and koalas. Only Antarctica is drier than Australia. When rivers dry up they leave billabongs, pools of water necessary for wildlife. There are many modern cities, but in the vast outback, a person could travel for days without seeing someone else. Excellent color photographs help tell the story of the land and people of Australia. Concise text is interesting and informative. Maps are included in the book that is part of the "Our Amazing Continents" series. 2003, The Millbrook Press, Ages 8 to 12.


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