Greece (Discovering Cultures)

Grade 2-4-Another title in a seemingly endless series of books on countries for young students. Good points for this one include excellent-quality, full-color photos (especially of the Greek people themselves); a good, full-page map at the beginning; and a lively, accurate, and well-written text offering many facts not covered in other books. For instance, Gordon mentions the krypho scholio (secret schools), run by the Orthodox priests during the 400-year Turkish occupation, which kept alive the forbidden Greek language and culture. Such interesting facts are highlighted on separate pages striped with blue; indeed, throughout the book the bright blue of the Greek flag attractively frames the text and unifies the format. The concluding "Fast Facts" section includes some new data and repeats other information already mentioned verbatim-a curious use of space.