Native Americans: A Visual Exploration

Gr 4–6—All of Native North American history is compressed into colorful infographics with occasional, brief text boxes. Short chapters from "Origins" to "Modern Day" are broken up into spreads, each of which answers a big question (e.g., "What was life like?"). Graphs, maps, time lines, diagrams, and more will appeal to visually oriented readers. The format necessarily simplifies and condenses information, so students writing about individual tribes will need to look elsewhere for supplemental material. However, the book succeeds as a general overview, especially in its emphasis on the diversity of geography, language, and culture of different Native American groups across the U.S. and Canada. Furthermore, Paleja solidly grounds Native Americans in the present day, discussing language revival, small-business ownership, teens' social media use, and other contributions and challenges in contemporary communities.—Sarah Stone, San Francisco Public Library