Amazing Africa Projects You Can Build Yourself
A while back, I was contacted by a publicist for Nomad Press. Might I be interested in reading and possibly reviewing Amazing Africa Projects You Can Build Yourself, one of their newest titles in the "Build it Yourself" series?
I hesitated for a moment, then said yes, reasoning that my good friend angeladegroot is from South Africa, and whether I enjoyed the book or not, Luke Skywalker and Obi Wan Kenobi (her boys, in 1st and 6th grade) might enjoy it. I expected it to be one of those workbook-like books that gives you lame craft projects, the occasional side-panel or text box to try to tie things to Africa and that's pretty much it.
What I received was a really cool workbook-like book (it's paperback and the size of a thick coloring book or other workbook) with tons of information about Africa in it: natural history, including minerals, geology, and wildlife; history and anthropology; geography; foods; culture; and more. The information is well-organized, and while the book does include text boxes and side-bars, they are generally related to the main text. In the chapter about minerals, for instance, there is a text box about blood diamonds - describing what they are, why they are widely regarded as a bad thing, and how to avoid buying them. Each chapter has at least one craft-like project you can do yourself that is related to the chapter. My guess is that results would vary widely based on the skill level of the children (and parents) involved in the craft. Alas, I'm certain my efforts to make African masks, shields or drums would be lame, whereas others would come up with works of art. This is not the book's fault - the fault, Brutus, is in my artistic ability, and not in the book.
Recommended for people interested in learning more about Africa and for home schoolers who'd like to teach a unit on Africa (either as a primary text or as a supplemental one, for sure).
