Colombia: The Gateway to South America (Exploring Cultures of the World) [Library Binding]

Lois Markham (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Exploring Cultures of the World

Introduces the geography, history, people, and culture of the country known as the Gateway to South America.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7?These series entries begin with the indigenous peoples of these countries and continue though the arrival of immigrants and the creation of a culture from these diverse elements. There are chapters about history, family life, education, and recreation and arts. The writing is easy to follow although subject transitions are sometimes abrupt. In compressing the history, some details are lost. For example, after their arrival in the Caribbean in 1525, "Over the next years, the Spanish built several more towns" does not indicate how long this process took. "The different colonies [in Australia] did not get along very well. Soon they would have to figure out a way to work together" does not elaborate on the reasons. Various customs and holidays are introduced but often lack sufficient background information. The full-color photographs show the geographical variations described in the text, but there is only one map to show the boundaries, cities, mountains, and rivers. A two-page summary of "Country Facts" includes a world map with the country highlighted in context. Half-page text boxes of common Spanish and "Australian English" words and phrases are included. Marion Morrison's Colombia (Children's Press, 1990) provides a more detailed look at the country's geography, history, and politics but is for a slightly older audience. David Lowe's Australia (Raintree/Steck-Vaughn, 1996), while focusing less on cultural subjects, has more maps, photographs, and statistics in a larger format for a similar age group.?Frances E. Millhouser, Chantilly Regional Library, VA
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Library Binding: 64 pages
• Publisher: Benchmark Books (May 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761401407
• ISBN-13: 978-0761401407
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,036,683 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Without a doubt...the best book for students in grades 4-7, July 22, 2004

By 

Bert Ruiz "Author" (Pleasantville, NY USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Colombia: The Gateway to South America (Exploring Cultures of the World) (Library Binding)

Hats off to author Lois Markham, "Colombia: The Gateway to South America," is the best source of information on Colombia for students in grades 4-7. Markham is a clean, succinct writer who has written numerous books for children, including biographies of Theodore Roosevelt, Thomas Edison and Helen Keller. However, Colombia is an extremely complex country and difficult to quantify.

Consequently, the author takes special care to present information in an accurate and objective fashion. Credit must also be given to Linda-Anne Rebhun, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at Yale University who contributed an expert review of the manuscript. Markham touches all the bases in this small compact (64 pages) book. She explains the geography of the four Colombias; mountains, coast, plains and tropical rain forest. She details the two main Indan groups in Colombia; the Chibcha in the plateaus near Bogota and the Tairona on the Coast.

Markham also describes how Spanish explorers found Colombia in 1499 and how early Conquistador's sought riches and not the development of a nation. The Spanish controlled Colombia for three centuries until the first independance in July 20, 1810 and the final defeat of the Spanish by Simon Bolivar on August 7, 1819. Still and all, this book is much more than geography and history information.

The author does an outstanding job reporting intimate details of the people of Colombia, of the family life, festivals and food. She also researches education and recreation inside Colombia as well as provide brief biographical essays of the great Colombian artists; Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Fernando Botero, Jorge Isaacs, Jose Eustasio Rivera and Alejandro Obregon. This book also contains beautiful photos of the Colombian landscape and people, a one-page country map, a two-page synopsis of country facts, a glossary, suggestions for further reading and an index. Highly recommended.

Bert Ruiz