Oceania Books

I'm recently out of college and have had the desire to go to a beautiful region with history, nice beaches, and warm weather for a vacation. Someone told me I should check into Guam so I got this book and was amazed at the detail put into it! It lists different historic sites, parks, beaches, and other great places to visit and everything each one has to offer along with the story behind it. It even summarized a list of twelve essential things to do when you visit Guam which is helpful for an indecisive person like me who would want to do it all!!! :) The clincher that made me sure I want to go there on vacation? The clear and colorful pictures throughout the book that show how incredible and breathtaking each part of the island is! I can't wait to take a hike on Guam to one of their many majestic waterfalls!

Excellent - one of those guides that make you feel you've already been there. Given the size of Madagascar and the difficulty of its internal communications, the update is as good as one could reasonably demand. Ms Bradt knows her subject, from terrain to people to unique wildlife. No visitor should be without this invaluable publication

Excelent book for the navigator as well as being a first rate cruising guide.

I've lived in New Zealand and after coming back to the U.S. I've had the privledge of taking groups back and I highly recomend this book for anyone traveling in NZ. It is better than most guide books although a little large as a guide book. I'd gladly take it because this books gives in detail information about almost every town in NZ from historical information to economic background. Gives places to see and where to see them. Now if they could shrink it you could through away the Lonely Plant book and Fodor's. For a photographer it is a must to read before traveling there. Both great writing and photography.

American architecture publishers take note: This one's got it right. The chapters are divided into historical periods, and the essays include not only floor plans but also condition reports and visitor access information. The "best" buildings get full essays with photographs. Lesser-known or otherwise deeply buried (but still interesting) structures are included in the "honorable mention" sections at the end of the book, which include an address, a build date and a small photo. There's an historical timeline of Sydney which runs across the header of each page in the book. It's very nicely done. I wish all architecture surveys were this good. Then again, I wish more cities were as nice as Sydney. I should mention that it's all black & white. No color.

Fantastic "Dear Diary" tale of the author's trip overseas to pursue a teaching assignment. Try to keep up, if you can, as she takes you through the streets, trails and beaches, local eateries, museums and sightseeing highpoints of many New Zealand cities.

Planning a trip to New Zealand? Read this book first! Enjoy cooking? Try the wonderful recipes included, such as this one (pg.209); Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce. Yum!

I bought this book for my kids ages 3, 6, & 9 in preparation for our trip to Hawaii. Each one of them has enjoyed it and now they have a better idea of what they will be seeing in the national park. It's well-written with lots of pictures and keeps their interest. I highly recommend it.

Beautiful says it all about the photography, writing and printing in this book!

I thought the book was fabulous because it told so many fascinating details about Hawaii and it had wonderful pictures of the beautiful islands of Hawaii. It also had so many interesting facts that I never knew before and it really helped me with my state report. I really recommend it for any kid or adult who would like to learn about Hawaii's history, culture and geography. I really thought the book was just amazing.

Here we are at the end of the From Sea to Shining Sea, Second Series, and if there is one thing I have learned about the 50th state in the past year it is that the correct spelling is Hawai'i and not Hawaii (but apparently it is still Hawaiians and not Hawai'ians). Not that P.J. Neri explicitly points that out in Introducing the Aloha State, Chapter One of this informative and colorful book. She simply uses the correct spelling about a dozen times on those first two pages. Even if the correct spelling of Hawai'i is not familiar to young readers most of what Neri says come to mind when people think of the state will be: the bombing of Pearl Harbor, lava flows and fountains of fire, pineapples, hula dancing, and ukuleles. Neri builds on that common knowledge to teach young students about the geography, history, government, people and places of the 50th state.

Chapter Two, The Land of Hawai'i, begins with the basic geological fact that the archipelago is not really a group of islands but really the tops of volcanic mountains. The other volumes in this series cover the different geographical regions of each state, but with Hawai'i that is not the case. Instead, Neri explains how each island has a nickname, an island color, and an official island flower or shell (e.g., O'ahu, "The Gathering Place," Yellow, "ilima"). She also covers how the tops of these volcanoes became lush green island paradises over time. However, it turns out there are several different climate regions in the islands (who would have expected a photograph of a snowboarder flying down the snow-covered slopes of Mauna Kea).

Chapter Three, Hawai'i Through History, begins with Polynesian pioneers sailing their canoes 2,000 miles to these islands and becoming the first Hawaiian settlers. Neri explains the Hawaiian culture that developed before getting around to the arrival of the Europeans and the destruction of the islands' sandalwood forests, harvested to be sold to the Chinese, in just 25 years. A section is devoted to the reign of Kamehameha the Great, the chieftain who united all of the islands under his rule, and another to the end of the kapu system. Hawai'i was recognized as an independent kingdom in 1826 by the United States, and what proved to be the undoing of the kingdom was the Great Mahele (land division) of 1848 and the rise of the sugarcane plantations, which eventually lead to the annexationists (if Hawai'i was annexed, then planters would not have to pay taxes to sell its sugar in the U.S.). Hawai'i n the 20th century is the story of pineapple plantations, tourism, the attack on Pearl Harbor, and finally statehood in 1959. However, the final section looks at the economic problems the state has suffered in recent years because economic problems in Asia and September 11th have both significantly reduced tourism to the islands.

Chapter Four, Governing Hawai'i begins with quick looks at the three branches of state government, and then Neri takes us on a tour of Honolulu, the state capital. A map of downtown Honolulu shows the location of key things to see, from the 'Iolani Palace, the only royal palace in the U.S., to the King Kamehaemha the Great Statue and the Aloha Tower. The final chapter is about The People and Places of Hawai'i, with sections devoted to what they do for sports and work, and including a delicious recipe for Hawaiian Tropical Delight, which involves pineapples, coconut, mangos, mandarin oranges, and miniature marshmallows. Neri also covers Native Hawaiians today before taking her young readers on a tour of Hawai'i island by island to point out what you can see and do on each (how many people who visit Hawai'i actually visit all eight of the big islands?). The accompanying full color photographs remind you how spectacular the sights are in Hawai'I and the next time I go there I am going to spend more than a half-hour there and leave the airport.

There is additional information throughout the book provide in a series of sidebar categories. Who's Who is Hawai'i highlights key figures from Father Damien and Lydia Paki Kamekaha Lili'uokalani to Daniel K. Inoye and Duke Paoa Kahanamoku. Find Out More sidebars suggest topics for further research (e.g., what is being done to save the Hawaiian monk seal from extinction), while the Extra! Extra! sidebars explain the hula dance and the Polynesian Voyaging Society. Other sidebars are devoted to Famous Firsts (e.g, first revolving restaurant), What's in a Name? (e.g., Mauna Loa means "long mountain"), and a few key words of Hawaiian under the heading Special Language (e.g., "hale" means house). These little tidbits can help punch up a school report on Hawai'i.

The back of the book offers a Hawai'i Almanac consisting of two-pages of fast facts about the state seal and flag, key statistics, and a list of various products and state symbols. A Timeline contrasts Hawai'i state history on the top with U.S. history on the bottom, while the Gallery of Famous Hawaiians includes not only Do Ho and Bette Midler, but Jason Scott Lee and Ellison Onizuka. After the Glossary of key turns from "ahupua'a" to "tsunami," Neri provides a page of web sties, books and addresses that young students can turn to For More Information if for some reason they consider that necessary. But the From Sea to Shining Sea series does a nice job of fleshing out the basic elements of a geography and history book so that young students should find plenty to work with for a school report on any of the fifty states (or Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C.). The first series was pretty good, but the second series is definitely better and there are bonus points for the way the color of the border of the cover always compliments the cover photograph.