Croatia FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Elizabeth Colbroth
Because children's nonfiction about Croatia is still quite scarce, Zoran Pavlovics' Croatia which is part of "Modern World" series gives a fresh look at this beautiful little country. The photos draw in the reader as does the author's obvious passion for his subject. Extended information that includes history, geography, and culture as well as good appendix material makes this book a good choice for classrooms and libraries. The reader will also be treated to some of Croatia's lesser known quirks like its connection to the ballpoint pen, the necktie, and dinosaur footprints. A few cautionsﾽCroatia is clearly missing a chapter about the Serbo-Croatian war that took place in the early 1990s. This ugly, bloody, racial conflict changed the course of Croatian history while bringing to world attention terrible tribal hatred. One sterile, brief paragraph explains the war and from then on it is referred to in euphemism. Imagine leaving the Civil War out of a book about the United States of America! The reading level is elevated and the vocabulary difficult. Younger students will need help negotiating the information presented. 2003, Chelsea House Publishers,
School Library Journal
Gr 7-10-Pavlovic clearly takes great pride in his country's assets, especially its natural beauty, but he does not gloss over its problems as he takes readers "on a book tour" of his homeland. He begins with a detailed chapter on physical geography followed by one that sketches Croatian history from prehistoric times to the present. Other chapters cover the government and economy, the people and culture, and the regions. Geographical terms such as "karst topography," "pyrophytic vegetation," and "alluvial soils" are explained within the text. However, the plethora of unfamiliar and, for Americans, seemingly unpronounceable place names, so many of which do not appear on either of the two maps, may overwhelm most readers, especially in the chapter on regions and cities. It is indeed curious that this series, with its emphasis on geography, does not include more maps. The full-color photographs are merely adequate. While the author makes some good points about the country's physical setting, its culture, and future challenges, this title's overall encyclopedic style will probably limit its use to reports. Robert Cooper's Croatia (Benchmark, 2000) has its own problems but its profusion of photographs and shorter subtopics should entice more students to read the book, or at least sections of it.-Elizabeth Talbot, University of Illinois, Champaign Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
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