This Place Is Lonely: The Australian Outback — Vicki Cobb

Gr 3-5-- This entry in the series looks at the isolated outback area of Australia. The rich earth-toned illustrations provide a sense of the remoteness there, although some pictures are too stylized to depict accurately the unique animals of the region. The color of the sheep's coat and the feathers of the emu and cassowary appear to be predominately blue. No ethnic diversity is portrayed, with the exception of one page that discusses the aborigines. Cobb's sentence structure is occasionally stilted, and the factual information will serve primarily as supplemental material with titles such as Dolce's Australia (Chelsea House, 1990). Purchase where other books in the series are popular or where picture-book information on Australia is needed.-- Jeanette Larson, Mesquite Public Library, TX