Welcome to Russia (Welcome to My Country)

An overview of the geography, history, government, economy, people, and culture of Russia

Gr 2-5-Two colorfully illustrated but flawed introductions. Each volume includes information on the nation's land, history, government, economy, religions, language, arts, leisure activities, holidays, and food. Unfortunately, brevity results in generalizations and superficiality. There are many omissions, particularly noticeable in the sections on food and the arts. France does not discuss music at all, and only mentions two painters, Manet and Monet; Russia ignores the balalaika. Both titles barely mention major cities, and Russia never refers to taiga, tundra, and steppe, crucial parts of the landscape. The picture captions and glossaries are more difficult than the text; in France, "aristocracy" is defined as "members of the upper class, who have usually descended from nobility"-clear as mud to an eight-year-old. There are also errors. Conboy and NgCheong-Lum list the Rhine as one of France's rivers, and state that, "For centuries, the French crossed the country by boat on these rivers." Since the Rhine is a border river, there is no way the people crossed the country on it. Victor Hugo died in 1885, and not in 1855 as the text states; Les Miserables is not "a novel based on the French Revolution." Russia talks about Santa Claus rather than Grandfather Frost. Thomas Streissguth's France and Russia (both Carolrhoda, 1997) are written in a very casual style, but are far more comprehensive than these titles.-Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY

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