Columbia

Gr 3–7—Originating from the travels of director/producer Elmer Hawkes, these short documentaries offer a cursory introduction to the culture, history, economy, and geography of these Latin American countries. Set against a soundtrack comprised of music specific to the nation covered, each program touches upon an extensive range of topics, sometimes too broad for the allotted time. The dry narrations feel rushed, often sounding computerized and unevenly edited. Sweeping statements will leave viewers thirsty for more information, or even confused. For example, in "Colombia," the country's 250-year colonization by Spain is mentioned briefly, as is its independence in 1910, but no other information about that struggle is included. In "Cuba," the generalization is made that "Cubans always seem to be looking out for each other," but there's no mention of Fidel Castro and Communism (even though these facts are included in the teacher's guide). Intriguing trivia, such as, "Colombia covers less than one percent of the world's land mass, but is home to more than 10 percent of its living species" and "With towering peaks that plunge from the Andes Mountains into the Amazon Basin, Ecuador is a land of rich cloud forests, flower farms, and stunning waterfalls," will pique kids' interest. However, these presentations offer only a tourist's birds-eye view. All the titles include a teacher's guide PDF, which contains the presentation's script, a glossary, historical background, color maps, flag, sources, and sample quizzes with answer keys. Only useful as supplemental material.—Shelley Diaz, School Library Journal