World Cultures in Perspective

East Asian Cultures in Perspective is an in-depth look at the different regional cultures of East Asia with an emphasis on current culture. The young reader is presented with an overview of a variety of regional cultures that developed historically and analyzes how the cultural history shapes the East Asian region s current culture. The book is written in a lively and interesting style, and contains the East Asian region s languages, foods, music/dance, art/literature, religions, holidays, lifestyle, and most importantly contemporary culture in the country today. The book has been developed to address many of the Common Core specific goals, higher level thinking skills, and progressive learning strategies from informational texts for middle grade and junior high-level students.

Join six Israeli teenagers as they meet in an unexpected way, and become friends despite their different cultures. Each one describes his or her family background, customs, and connection to general Israeli culture. Nadav, Shmulik, Ori, and Ziva discover that they are related. Together with their Ethiopian-Israeli friend, Yityish, they discover the place where their family history in Israel began. Along the way, they meet Mahmoud and learn about Arab-Israeli culture. Learn about the many different Israeli cultures and about fascinating aspects of Israeli life. Discover the wide variety of Israeli foods. Try your hand at an Israeli cookie recipe and an arts and crafts project. And follow along with Nadav, Shmulik, Ori, Ziva, Yityish, and Mahmoud as they learn about what makes each of them unique, and what they have in common!

Brazilian Cultures in Perspective is an in-depth look at the different regional cultures of Brazil with an emphasis on current culture. The young reader is presented with an overview of a variety of regional cultures that developed historically and analyzes how the cultural history shapes the Brazilian regions current cultures. The book is written in a lively and interesting style and covers a variety of Brazilian regions including: northern Brazil, Amazon, Manaus, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, and Sao Paulo. The book presents languages, foods, music/dance, art/literature, religions, holidays, lifestyle, and most importantly contemporary culture in the country today. The book has been developed to address many of the Common Core specific goals, higher level thinking skills, and progressive learning strategies from informational texts for middle grade and junior high level students.

Native Alaskan Cultures in Perspective is an in-depth look at the different regional cultures of Alaska with an emphasis on current cultures. The young reader is presented with an overview of a variety of regional cultures that developed historically and analyzes how the cultural history shapes the Alaskan region s current cultures. The book is written in a lively and interesting style and discusses a variety of Alaskan peoples including the Yupik (Eskimo), Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Athabaskan, and Tsimsian. The book contains the Alaskan region s languages, foods, music/dance, art/literature, religions, holidays, lifestyle, and most importantly contemporary culture in the country today. The book has been developed to address many of the Common Core specific goals, higher level thinking skills, and progressive learning strategies from informational texts for middle grade and junior high level students.

Polynesian Cultures in Perspective is an in-depth look at the different regional cultures of the large number of Polynesian islands and countries, with an emphasis on current culture. The young reader is presented with an overview of a variety of regional cultures that developed historically and analyzes how the cultural history shapes the Polynesian region s current culture. The book is written in a lively and interesting style and contains the Polynesian region s languages, foods, music/dance, art/literature, religions, holidays, lifestyle, and most importantly contemporary culture in the country today. The book has been developed to address many of the Common Core specific goals, higher level thinking skills, and progressive learning strategies from informational texts for middle grade and junior high level students.

North Africa, composed of Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco, is a region in the midst of major transition. Long ruled by brutal local dictators, in 2011 several of those nations threw out their unpopular rulers and demanded the institution of democracy. Meanwhile, most young North Africans are far better educated than they were only a few decades ago. They study hard, hoping to scoop up high-paying jobs. The Egyptians, Libyans, and other North Africans are therefore pushing for better, brighter futures. At the same time, however, many aspects of their culture remain rooted in tradition. Among these are family and gender roles, religious and marriage customs, and traditional foods and folk music. As a result, North African culture remains old-world, charming, and even quaint, while its politics, education, and finances keep pace with the fast-changing outside world.

Cajun Cultures in Perspective Louisiana's colorful past has shaped the state's culturally diverse present. Its territory has had numerous claimants. The first was explorer Hernando de Soto on behalf of Spain in 1541, followed by Robert de la Salle of France and even the short-lived Republic of West Florida before it became the 18th state to join the Union in 1812. At the start of the Civil War, Louisiana became an independent republic for two weeks after seceding from the Union before joining the Confederacy.

More than one-and-a-half billion Muslims of all races, nationalities, and ethnicities live in the world today, but the birthplace of Islam is the Middle East. Islam is a religion based on the revelations given to the Prophet Muhammad. These teachings are contained in the Quran, Islam s holy book. Like other religions, Islam preaches peace and love for others. Also like other religions, Islam s teachings are often interpreted differently by different people. These people may use violence towards other Muslims and non-Muslims alike to spread their version of Islam around the world. Because these people often make headlines, not everyone understands that these people don t represent the majority of Muslims. But the first step towards tolerance and peace is understanding. In this book, we ll explore the culture and everyday lives of Muslims in the Middle East. It is more important today than ever before to understand Islamic culture in order to create greater acceptance among people of all faiths.

From bustling cities with gleaming skyscrapers, to deep, mysterious jungles, Southeast Asia is a region of fantastic extremes. On the one hand, it is made up of modern nations with houses, cars, and businesses like those in the United States. On the other, these lands feature large stretches of wild territory where elephants and tigers still roam in the shadows of towering, active volcanoes. Such extremes do not bother the people of Southeast Asia. In fact, they are proud to be modern caretakers of their sprawling national parks and the rich array of wild creatures and plants within them. At the same time, the Indonesians, Cambodians, and other Southeast Asians strive to preserve their native cultures. These range from ancient faiths like Islam, Buddhism, Christianity, and traditional religions to modern pastimes like soccer, computer blogging, and taking in the latest Star Trek movie.

Caribbean Cultures in Perspective is an in-depth look at the cultures of the Caribbean with an emphasis on current cultures of the major regional countries. The young reader is presented with an overview of a variety of regional cultures and analyzes how the cultural history shapes the Caribbean region s current culture. The book is written in a lively and interesting style and contains the Caribbean region s languages, foods, music/dance, colonial history, religions, holidays, lifestyle, and most importantly contemporary culture in the region today. The book has been developed to address many of the Common Core specific goals, higher level thinking skills, and progressive learning strategies for informational texts for middle grade and junior high level students.