Children of Cuba (World's Children) [Library Binding]

Frank Staub (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Series: World's Children

Presents the history and customs of Cuba while following a variety of children in their daily activities.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-6--Two photo-essays that feature clearly written texts and crystal clear, full-color pictures. All of the photos give a fine sense of the people, their lives, and their land. Vikings shows the daily lives of children today in five different areas settled by the Vikings, including the Faeroes, Iceland, Gotland, land, and Lofoten. Each island is unique, but the people have a common bond of language, culture, and history. Maps of early Viking explorations and a brief history of their travels are included. Staub realistically portrays what life is like today for children living in Cuba, and offers a short history of the island and a description of the many racial groups that settled there. The narrative explains the differences in the lives of the people since the Castro revolution, such as universal health care and education, also mentioning briefly the influence of communism and the impact of severe shortages of gasoline and machinery parts. Readers will enjoy seeing the day-to-day activities of the children as they go to school, help with chores, and play games. Two attractive purchases to supplement standard geography books.

Marion F. Gallivan, Gannon University, Erie, PA

Copyright 1997 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Library Binding: 56 pages
• Publisher: Carolrhoda Books (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876149891
• ISBN-13: 978-0876149898
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 8.4 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,777,522 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars An UPDATE on the decade just past would help . . ., April 27, 2007

By 

mcHaiku "nmi" (Brown County INDIANA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Children of Cuba (World's Children) (Library Binding)

. . . or would it? Frank Staub's book "Children of Cuba" is well-written but can it do the job of waking up lethargic students? The geography IQs of U. S. citizens are sinking as attitudes of UNconcern become more widespread. GAP clothes are apparently essential to teens whereas the filling of knowledge Gaps is not. Too few want to study other countries, their politics & economic concerns, even their locations. Teens (& plenty of adults, too) probably think they don't need to fill that vacuum with facts because their computers are humming & they can simply "google" or click on Map Quest, etc. . .why clutter the brain cells? Do we fear that with knowledge comes caring?

The author attempts to make geography more palatable, even exciting. As part of a CarolRhoda/Lerner series, "Children of Cuba" has a wealth of sharp color photographs revealing life changes in this small, semi-tropical country with over eleven million inhabitants. The skies are no longer thick with parrots as in the days of Columbus but the world has witnessed the exodus of one million Cubans to find some security in the United States.

The Castro revolution and Communist government, with subsequent embargos, did not bring most rural people much relief from poverty but the government provides health care & there is work in cigar factories which are "doing a healthy business." In the same breath Staub writes that "any kind of smoking can kill you."

Imagine! It was July 26, 1953 when Fidel Castro began the attack against the dictator Batista but it was 6 more years before he established his own government. Reviewer mcHaiku suggests we may not be too many administrations away from seeing the barriers erased that were erected after Castro came to power, and that will be another chapter.