(4) K-3 Welcome to My Country series. A gallery of smiling faces in colorful, captioned photos offers young readers a cursory glimpse at the people and sights of these two countries. Though the focus is on the government, economy, climate, culture, and lifestyle of today, both books highlight the history of struggle and recent attainment of independence from foreign rule. Map, "Quick Facts," reading list, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Welcome to My Country titles: Welcome to Vietnam and Welcome to Singapore.]

Reviewer: Christina Dorr

(4) 4-6 Countries of the World series. The country surveys in this series examine Singapore and Vietnam from three different perspectives: an overview summarizes history, people, and art; a "Closer Look" section delves more deeply into country-specific topics; and a section explores the country's relations with North America. Long sidebars and captions on the color photos make the presentation choppy; maps and statistic sheets conclude each book. Bib., glos., ind. [Review covers these Countries of the World titles: Singapore and Vietnam.]

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam