(2) K-3 Translated by Helen Mixter. Illustrated by Jiu Er. The motif of an orphaned wild creature taken and raised by humans is a classic trope, here embodied in a realistic story about a baby moose adopted by the hunter who had inadvertently killed the calf's mother. The setting is, matter-of-factly rather than exotically, contemporary Inner Mongolia, and the hunter, a kind old man who names the moose Xiao Han, Little Moose. Xiao Han's growing size (and hunger!) provides plenty of gentle slapstick humor as he becomes increasingly too much for the hunter and his reindeer herd; the hunter's encroaching mortality offers an additional emotional layer. Watercolor and charcoal pictures--some sepia-toned, some delicately colorful--are plentiful and detailed, with a good variety of picture sizes, from small homey vignettes, several to a page, to double-page spreads showing the magnificence of the (sometimes comical) beast and the breadth of the forest landscape.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2020

(2) 4-6 Aisulu must become a burkitshi (eagle hunter) and fly an eagle she rescued at the National Eagle Festival to win the prize money that will save her ill brother and her home. Details of nomadic Kazakh life in Western Mongolia are authentically woven throughout. Aisulu's efforts to raise and train eagle Toktar, and the bond that develops between them, recall classic nature dramas. Strong family support offers heart and warmth.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2019

(3) 4-6 Photographs by Carl Hunter & Clare Heney. Brothers Chingis and Nergui suddenly appear in Julie's classroom. They appoint her their "Good Guide" and learn to blend in, all the while spinning tales of Mongolia and a demon that's trying to make Nergui disappear. Told from Julie's perceptive, compassionate perspective and accompanied by numerous photographs, the U.K.-set story is poetic, bittersweet, and a little bit mystical.

Reviewer: Miriam Steinberg-Egeth

(3) K-3 Adapted by Helen Mixter. In simple prose, a Mongolian child describes the first year of his life, beginning with the moment of his birth. At the center of his family's traditional nomadic experience stands the "little round house"--the ger--which is taken apart and rebuilt with each seasonal move to a new location. Rich-hued gouache paintings display the text's details about Mongolian culture.

Reviewer: Martha Sibert

(2) 4-6 Scientists in the Field series. Photographs by Nic Bishop. Montgomery and Bishop (Quest for the Tree Kangaroo) tag along with conservationist Tom McCarthy in search of the rare snow leopard in Mongolia. Montgomery describes not just the creatures and scientists who track them but also the land and Mongolian culture. Bishop's excellent photographs feature the region's arid, rocky landscapes, the people who live there, and the research team in action.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2009

(4) 4-6 Alien Agent series. Illustrated by Mike Gorman. It's aliens versus...other aliens in this third book in the series. Undercover boy/alien Zack is sent with his parents to Mongolia to help fellow alien-agent Vraj. Vraj's colleagues have been searching for fossils from creatures they believe to be their original ancestors, captured by enemy aliens, the Kiapa Kapa Syndicate. Oddities abound in this convoluted but humorous adventure.

Reviewer: Betsy Murray

(2) K-3 This book focuses on a horse race during the Naadam festival in Mongolia, in which boys gallop their stallions fourteen miles across the Gobi Desert. The text, accompanied by some nimbly sketched spot art, offers a vivid picture of this traditional culture. Watercolor expanses feature desert vistas, horses in action, and sympathetic portraits of the Mongolian people at home and work. Glos.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2008

(3) 4-6 In World History series. Although the primary focus in each of these two books is Marco Polo and Ponce de León, a lot of attention is given to Venetian, Mongolian, and Chinese history in Empire and to Christopher Columbus and Spanish exploration in Ponce. Well written, with selections from the writings of Polo and Ponce de León, the books are illustrated with maps and black-and-white sketches. Reading list, timeline, websites. Bib., ind. [Review covers these In World History titles: The Great Empire of China and Marco Polo in World History and Ponce de León and the Age of Spanish Exploration in World History.]

Reviewer: Jeannine M. Chapman

(2) K-3 Floca's spirited, fictionalized account of the American Museum of Natural History's expeditions into Mongolia in the 1920s provides welcome historical perspective for children who already know loads of facts about dinosaurs. The upbeat dialogue feels historically appropriate, a tone that is reflected in the illustrations' careful attention to period details, and the attention to scientific detail is also excellent.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2000

(3) 4-6 Cultures of the World series. These thorough overviews trenchantly examine each country's geography, history, and government. The accessible texts and appealing color photographs also focus on engaging topics such as festivals, foods, and leisure activities, giving readers a sense of everyday life in these varied cultures. Maps and a page of basic facts are included. Bib., glos., ind.

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta

(4) 4-6 Artisans Around the World series. 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.

Reviewer: Gail Hedges