Homes

Lisa Arsenault is an elementary-school teacher in Ajax, Ontario.

These two volumes are part of the Discovering World Cultures series,
short manuals that provide an overview of fundamental human needs and
interests: food, shelter, clothing and jewelry, and music and dance, to
date. Each book has a table of contents and a glossary; is illustrated
with color diagrams, illustrations, and photographs; and has 14
chapters, each comprising two pages of encapsulated information and
captioned, illustrative material.

Homes deals with homes around the world, building materials, homes
through history, social differences pertaining to kinds of shelter,
daily life at home, the different constructions of walls, floors, doors,
and windows, water supplies, keeping the home safe, families, special
shapes of homes, new homes, light, heat, and energy in the home, and
changes in homes. Music and Dance discusses the concept of music and
dancing, musical instruments, making instruments, religious dancing and
music, show tunes, opera, classical music, music of indigenous peoples,
folk music and dancing, dancing for fun, technology, and music through
history.

Given the space restrictions, these volumes do a good job of providing
overviews of their topics. It is obvious that much effort has gone into
finding interesting exemplars, quality illustrative materials, and
fascinating tidbits of information. However, a reader seeking indepth
information on any of the topics cited above will not find it here; the
range of topics is perhaps too broad. Recommended for readers requiring
only a cursory, albeit fascinating, examination of the subject.