Fausto is our guide through the country of Italy. The information is given from the perspective of a young boy, who takes us to his apartment and school, explaining his family’s activities and lifestyle. We learn about traditional Italian foods and famous people/things from Italy. Two large cities, Rome and Venice, are described and Fausto tells us about celebrations and leisure activities. Fun facts are presented in a couple of two-page spreads (You Won’t Believe This! and It Came From Italy). There is also a comparison chart (U.S. vs. Italy) and a Guessing Game with more facts.

This book does a great job of getting a lot of information out in a relatively few pages, keeping the reading engages all the while. The time-line only goes to 1946 But, that’s understandable when it starts in 753 BCE! There is a nice map at the beginning to help us get our bearings and a nice page of travel preparation tips for would-be world travelers.

The illustrations are crisp and well done and the text is clean and, at times, colorful. Typical nonfiction features include table of contents, index, glossary, time-line and web address for further exploration.

This is part of the Follow Me Around series, which is recommended for updating your social studies section. It is very accessible and engaging.