Rau,
Dana Meachen. The Northeast. Scholastic/ Childrens Press 48p $25.20 978-0 531-24851-5 elem Series: A
True Book (Scholastic/Childrens) Average
This book offers an introduction to the
eleven states that make up the northeastern region of the United States. The Northeast provides a brief
introduction to life in the northeastern states of Connecticut, Delaware,
Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.
The 48-page volume glosses over many details for some states and
provides none for others. For example,
Delaware is mentioned only once (on page seven), in a listing of the
northeastern states. In the timeline,
which only goes through 1820, Giovanni da Verrazano is credited with exploring
the northeastern coast of America for France in 1524, but no details of his
exploration are provided in the text. The information under "Climate"
is very general. In the "Important
Terms" section, "continental climate" is highlighted and given a
definition, but "subtropical climate" is not.
Topics that the text describes include
a history of the region from the settlement of Plymouth Colony through Hurricane
Irene in 2011; animals, landforms and climate of the region; and some economic
factors. Overall, the choice of what is included and what is not included appears
to be random. For example, on page 43,
the "True Statistics" section names the major rivers of the region as
the Connecticut, Hudson, and Delaware.
However, the sole map of the region (on page 6) shows rivers, but they
are not labeled. This could be confusing,
particularly in Pennsylvania, which has several rivers (including the
Susquehannah River, a major source of water for the Chesapeake Bay).
Readers who enjoy collecting facts
about a variety of topics may enjoy this book.
However, unless your collection doesn't have a more in-depth treatment
of this topic, this book is a peripheral choice. Each volume of the A True Book series
invites readers to read the book to discover which of two statements on the
first page is true and which is false.
-- Hilary Welliver
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