Costa Rica

Gr 4-6-The volumes on individual countries cover the historical, geographic, ethnic, political, and economic aspects adequately, and Central America briefly introduces the countries in the isthmus. The books conclude with recipes, project and report ideas, and brief chronologies. Belize and Costa Rica contain maps of the relevant nation and portions of bordering ones, but there is no map showing their location relative to the rest of the region. Even more surprising, Central America has only maps of the individual countries. Also, the books are nearly word-for-word reissues of titles in the publisher's "Discovering Central America" series (2003), with only the statistical and political leadership information updated. Some of the color photographs appear dated. The recipes make no note of adult supervision/assistance (definitely required for some of the preparation steps), and the vocabulary and assumed culinary expertise are beyond the targeted age group. The activities (most of which consist of making flash cards and writing book reports) vary; some are too difficult while others are simplistic. The further-reading resources are almost exclusively for adults.-Lisa Crandall, formerly at Capital Area District Library, Holt, MI (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.