(3) YA Mexico: Beautiful Land, Diverse People series. This series volume introduces readers to various Mexican festivals and their importance to Mexican culture. Subjects include national holidays, religious observances, and other local customs. Information on when, how, and why they take place is included. Numerous photographs and sidebars provide additional details about the celebrations, costumes, and activities. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) YA Mexico: Beautiful Land, Diverse People series. These volumes provide decent, if basic, overviews. Facts focuses on the different states. Government describes the political shifts from native empires to European colony to independent republic. Economy highlights agriculture, industry, and trade. People reads like an expanded version of the first half of History. Many photographs and reproductions illustrate the texts. There are five other fall 2008 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind. Review covers these Mexico: Beautiful Land, Diverse People titles: The Government of Mexico, The History of Mexico, Mexico: Facts and Figures, The Economy of Mexico, and The People of Mexico.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) YA Mexico: Beautiful Land, Diverse People series. This volume introduces readers to the widely varied geography of Mexico. Topics include climate and topography and their influences on agriculture, tourism, and industry. The text is choppy, going from one brief paragraph to the next; sidebars expand on some of the information. Many photographs illustrate the various regions. Reading list, timeline, websites. Glos., ind.

Reviewer: Antonio Trujillo

(4) 4-6 Discovering the Caribbean series. Overviews of these Caribbean islands introduce the geography, history, economy, politics, peoples, and culture of each place. Brief chapters feature a dry, straightforward text and color photos of varying quality. Recipes and project ideas are appended. Those looking for in-depth information for reports will have to go elsewhere. There are six other fall 2003 books in this series. Reading list, timeline, website. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Discovering the Caribbean titles: Cuba, Barbados, Windward Islands, Haiti, and The Bahamas.]

Reviewer: Carolyn Shute

(3) YA Famous Flyers series. These well-written biographies clearly describe the contributions each aviator made, although the books' major strength is in the details they provide about their subjects' personal lives and the events that led to their history-making accomplishments. Both books feature archival photos and informational sidebars; Yeager also includes a fifteen-page "Famous Firsts in Aviation" appendix. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Famous Flyers titles: Amelia Earhart and Chuck Yeager.]

Reviewer: Jack Forman

(4) 4-6 Major World Leaders series. Students researching current events will appreciate these volumes about six newsworthy subjects. Workmanlike prose balances biographical details with information--both positive and negative--about how these political figures have led, or continue to lead, their countries. The accompanying color photos are often pallid. Timelines are included. There are six other fall 2002 books in this series. Bib., ind. [Review covers these Major World Leaders titles: Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, Anwar Sadat, Saddam Hussein, Vladimir Putin, and Yasir Arafat.]

Reviewer: Peter D. Sieruta