By Monika Davies

South Sudan covers basic information of the country. It has appealing images and maps as well as words in bold that correlate to a Glossary at the end of the book. At the publishing of this book, South Sudan is the youngest nation in the world as it became a country in 2011. Readers will be interested in the unique geographical features including: the White Nile River, the Boya Mountains and the Sudd of the South Sudanese country as well as some of the exotic animals of the country: African savanna elephants, shoebills, and Nile lechwe. It shows the vibrancy of life in the country as wells as popular sports: wrestling, basketball or soccer, and favorite foods: kisra asida and ful. This book is recommended for any library where students at a young age do country research or for English language learners.

The Blastoff! Readers Countries of the World series contains many informational chapters including but not limited to: All about the country, land and animals, life for the people, and facts. These books also include a glossary with terms that are in bold throughout the book as well as an index and a section with links and books to learn more about the country. These books are recommended for grades 1-3. They are at “Level 2 which offers early readers a bit more challenge through varied sentences, increased text load, and test-supportive special features.”