《学校图书馆杂志》(School Library Journal)书评
Gr 5 Up-These attractive volumes invite readers to experience world geography and history by studying and re-creating the folk art of the regions. Southwest Pacific features X-ray painting from Australia, carved wooden shields from Papua New Guinea, a taaniko (woven bracelet) from New Zealand, and a batik wall hanging from Indonesia. Projects in Northern Asia include handmade quilted felt from Mongolia, papier-mch masks from South Korea, scissor-cut scenes from China, and shibori (cloth dyeing) from Japan. The authors profile each country with a well-detailed history of the land, the people, and their traditional art; a sidebar of quick facts; and a full-page color map incorporating thumbnail photographs of major historical, geographical, and cultural features. The how-to sections guide readers through the crafting process with clear, well-illustrated, step-by-step directions, providing a list of materials and tools, helpful hints, and frequent reminders that adult supervision is imperative. A few of the projects are quite ambitious, requiring specialized or hard-to-use tools such as wool carders and chisels; most, however, involve readily available materials and average agility with tools. Readers who choose not to attempt the projects can appreciate seeing how these works of art take shape and what they may reveal about the religious, political, and social life of the indigenous peoples who first made them. These unique titles have much to offer.-William McLoughlin, Brookside School, Worthington, OH (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
《儿童读物杂志》(Horn Book)书评
Each volume highlights four areas or countries, presenting basic geographic and historic facts, statistics, time lines, small photos, and a craft project intended to convey an "understanding [of] geography and history through art." While the directions are specific, the projects are extremely complex (e.g., creating felt from raw wool), making these books best suited to classroom use. Bib., glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.