A Family from Iraq (Families Around the World)

Gr 2-4--Very basic information about life and customs in Iraq is revealed through descriptions of the daily activities of a presumably middle-class extended family living on the outskirts of Baghdad. The members consist of an elderly couple and their two adult children in one house, and a married daughter living with her husband and five children a few blocks away. The family was chosen by the Iraqi government. Work, schooling, leisure activities, housing, clothing, food, and meal preparation are among the topics included. Brief mention is made of some hardships endured since the ending of the Gulf War. Yellow text blocks offer additional facts. Full-color, sometimes fuzzy photographs cover most of and sometimes an entire page. They were obviously in short supply; the cover photo is repeated in whole or part on seven pages; other pictures appear at least twice. The book concludes with a helpful pronunciation guide, a brief glossary, and a further-reading list of materials from the early 1990s. This is a serviceable offering if material at this level is needed; otherwise, stick with Susan M. Hassig's Iraq (Marshall Cavendish, 1995), which has more detailed descriptions but is on a higher reading level.

Diane S. Marton, Arlington County Library, VA

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