Arctic ANNOTATION
Discusses life in this harsh habitat, the people, the mineral wealth, and the abuses which threaten its future.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
In The Arctic you'll learn more about these endangered people and places and what can be done to preserve them.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Uma Krishnaswami
This book, profusely illustrated with photographs, is divided into broad sections devoted to understanding the types of regions, the peoples of these regions, uses and abuses of and threats to these regions, and their future. Maps and glossaries offer additional information to the reader. It provides insights into the special needs, and the riches, of the region of focus. The cultural, social, and economic variations among the peoples and places within each climatic zone are also considered and explored. A fine addition to a reference shelf, and to the resource racks of a teacher or librarian.
School Library Journal
Gr 3-7-These introductory overviews of broad ecological regions of the globe and the peoples who inhabit them cover a lot of material in a very few pages. Of the two, Rain Forests, which profiles the tropical areas of Latin America, Africa, and Asia, is more successful. Oldfield clearly explains tropical rain forest ecology and the importance of such resources to people throughout the world. The author acknowledges the economic pressures and exploitation that threaten the ecological balance but also includes examples of alternatives such as forest reserves and national parks that may help curb the rapid destruction. Unfortunately, there is no mention of temperate rain forests. The full-color photographs, while adequate to support the text, are often small and sometimes marred by the loss of visual information in the gutters. However, the illustrative problems are greater in The Arctic. For example, a small map showing the range of Arctic peoples has tiny lettering that is difficult to read. Some of Rootes's shifts in tense create a certain ambiguity about which activities and beliefs are part of the past and which are part of contemporary culture. He is less careful than Oldfield to define terms. Of the two books, Rain Forests is better written.-Kathy Piehl, Mankato State University, MN
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