The Exploration of Africa

Gr 4–6—Attractive presentations can't overcome the weaknesses of the texts' superficial summaries. Loosely organized by sections that focus on expeditions, explorers, or specific regions, the journeys covered mostly follow the exploits of famous European or American men, but a few Asian, female, and indigenous people are featured. The books focus more on exploration routes than on analysis of the reasons for the expeditions or their historical effects. The design combines limited text, sidebars and text boxes, reproductions, and stunning location photos. However, there are no contemporary maps, which will leave some readers feeling confused since the texts discuss so many specific routes. Poles erroneously claims that the South Pole receives less sunlight than the North Pole. The combination of all these flaws and the lack of analysis limits the effectiveness of this set-especially since exploration is a topic with wide coverage in extant titles.