The Usborne Book of Peoples of the World: Internet-Linked (Encyclopedias) [Paperback]

Gillian Doherty (Author), Anna Claybourne (Author), Laura Fearn (Designer)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Series: Encyclopedias

THIS EDITION IS INTENDED FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Describes the various people who live in each region of the world, and briefly discusses their religion, food, festivals, ways of making a living, and other things that make them different.

--This text refers to the School & Library Binding edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Usborne Books (July 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0794500250
• ISBN-13: 978-0794500252
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,483,892 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful and Informative, October 7, 2004

By 

Dreaming Kat (Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Usborne Book of Peoples of the World: Internet-Linked (Encyclopedias) (Paperback)

This book is a great way to introduce the world to kids. I'm not a teacher, but I'd guess it's at about a third grade reading level. The text is broken up with brightly colored pictures, so the book does not look intimidating even to a younger child. There is one map per continent, which shows climate, political boundaries, and landmarks (like major rivers and cities).

I've not followed many of the internet links yet, but I do plan to.

The most valuable parts of the book are the first two sections "What are People" and "People and Culture". These are incredibly difficult issues to address with an early elementary school student, and I feel the book does a great job. The other information in book would be possible to find elsewhere (although I doubt it would presented so beautifully), but I've found no other resource that attempts to address "What are People" at this level. The origin of humanity is not mentioned, although the word species is used, and the book states that people "belong to a group of animals called primates, which includes apes and monkeys". The wording allows for a pretty easy jump into either evolution or creationism if you want to go there, but doesn't leave you feeling like they forgot something if you just skip it all together.

Peoples of the World has the parts you'd expect from an academic work: table of contents, index, acknowledgments, even a couple of footnotes that refer you to other pages in the book. Each picture has a caption.

Another plus for the book is that if focuses on the mission of introducing young children to the beauty and diversity of the world. It does not delve into the conflicts or the horrors of the past, nor does it take sides. It avoids controversial subjects simply by stating facts. "Israel is a Jewish state which was created in 1948. Many Arabs claim that Israel's land belongs to an Arabic people, the Palestinians." is a good example of how the book gives an opening if you wish to discuss the matter, but doesn't actually go into it. It handles slavery the same way, stating when and where and who, but not delving into the subject.

I recommend this book for elementary school children. It's not overwhelming for younger children, and contains lots of starting points for older children.

5 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Inappropriate for Elementary, January 15, 2010

By 

J. Campbel - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Usborne Book of Peoples of the World: Internet-Linked (Encyclopedias) (Paperback)

Wow! How shocking it is to crack open the book for 1st grade and see nudity, then have to put the text out of reach due to evolution being clearly taught. I feel that to teach a love for learning, then color over and put the text out of reach is as much a contradiction as teaching my k and 1st graders evolution. It is not that I am opposed to the introduction of other ideas, but not at 1st grade!