Bosnia and Herzegovina FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature
Information about Bosnia and Herzegovina is presented on attractive, glossy color pages and divided into concise chapters for intermediate elementary students. While the presentation appears suited to these younger students because of slightly larger typeface, middle school readers may glean more from the discussions about the economic upheavals and political and ethnic battles that have ravaged the country for most of the last two centuries. The greatest emphasis is on the strife of the last few decades, but the author makes a noble effort to delineate the history of each of the factions that foreshadows the ethnic struggles of today. Numerous large and informative photographs break up the text, which is a plus. The chapters cover climate, geography, people and history. Written by a journalist-turned-academician, this volume addresses all the "who, what, when, where, and why" questions of a reporter. The book includes a glossary, additional reading suggestions and a fairly extensive index to assist young researchers. Part of the " Countries of the World" series. 2001, Gareth Stevens, $22.60. Ages 10 up. Reviewer: Deborah Zink Roffino
School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-The book opens with an extensive overview of the country's geography, history, peoples, and cultures. Sidebars often alert readers to the coverage of a specific topic in the next section, "A Closer Look-." Its two-page topical chapters, except for some consecutive units on history, don't seem to be in any order, with chapters on ethnic cleansing, historic towns, war-camp horrors, and music and dance following one another. Moreover, these chapters seem repetitive, and sometimes they are written in an encyclopedic style with too many details that will not be of interest to the intended audience. The author concludes with "Relations with North America"; it also covers much of the same history already presented, but focuses on the role of Canada and the United States in 20th-century events in the region. High-quality photographs help to convey the complex cultural inheritance of the peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina. However, readers interested in history will find a more coherent story in Eric Black's Bosnia: Fractured Region (Lerner, 1999).-Elizabeth Talbot, University of Illinois, Champaign Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
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