Major Nations in a Global World: Tradition, Culture, and Daily Life
Nonfiction children's series
Mason Crest Publishers, 2016
VOYA, Perfect 10, 2016
Major Nations in a Global World: Tradition, Culture, and Daily Life explores how people live in the world today—influenced by their ancestors but in tandem with the demands and expectations of modern life. Exploring history and religion, family and friends, school and work, arts and leisure, and architecture and the built environment, the series celebrates what makes key countries unique magnets for the world’s fascination. Italy’s obsession with fast cars, France’s artisanal industries, Japan’s tea ceremony, Mexico’s monumental Aztec structures—these traditions and more are celebrated in Major Nations in a Global World.
"Content is consistently excellent. The editorial decision to establish titles of six specific content areas has resulted in a top-down exploration of these cultures. Readers understand the why of culture and then examples (the what) enrich these explanations. . . . The approach obviates the bottom-up approach of so many volumes on countries’ cultures that ultimately read with a stereotypic bent.
Centore and Perritano break vocabulary-rich diction into relatively brief sentences. The paragraphs read “smart” but are not overwhelming. Excellent color photography combine with sepia-toned images that float beneath text—another instance of adding substance without overwhelming the reader. A worthy purchase for middle grades, low-ability upper grades, and even precocious fifth graders, Major Nations in a Global World offers rich content in an accessible and functional format."
—Lauri J. Vaughan, VOYA
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