Booklist Review

Updated for a new generation of fact finders creating country reports, these titles in the Enchantment of the World, Second Series live up to their name, showing students the rich diversity across nations. An abundance of crisp color photographs and black-and-white archival prints help highlight the thorough presentation of each country's geography, climate, flora and fauna, struggles for independence, government, agriculture and industry, peoples, religions, arts, traditions, pastimes, and daily life. Jamaica discusses its turbulent history with slavery and how it remains part of the British monarchy. The books also show the evolution of each country and the growing dichotomy between rural and urban dwellers, while a variety of maps and sidebars (e.g., South Korea's K-pop hit Gangnam Style) add further interest. A concluding time line, Fast Facts (with the country's capital, population, currency, type of government, etc.), and a bibliography complete the series' research value.--Leeper, Angela Copyright 2015 Booklist