52 Days by Camel, My Sahara Adventure  •  Debora Pearson  •  Lawrie Raskin TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  1998 •  PAPER  • 88 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A travelogue for middle readers, much in the spirit of an adult travelogue but with full-color pictures and a child-friendly emphasis on camels, unusual people, outsize weather and benign adventure. Raskin's journey was inspired by a signpost in Morocco which read "Timbuktu 52 Days". He sets out from Fez and ends up (52 days later?) in Timbuktu, whence he continues on to the salt mines of Taoudenni, Mali. (NAF11, $14.95)
Africa (Eyewitness Books)  •  Yvonne Ayo  •  Geoff Dann  •  Ray Moller CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1995 •  HARD COVER • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) A thoroughly illustrated overview of traditional ways of life throughout Africa in the highly visual Eyewitness series. Each two-page spread is devoted to a specific aspect of African life, such as home-building, medicine and religion. Geared for children ages 9-12. (AFR59, $15.99)
Morocco in Pictures  •  Lerner CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1993 •  HARD COVER  • 64 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) An entry in the "Visual Geography" series, this book presents cityscapes, landscapes and desertscapes of Morocco in color photographs and accessible, fact-filled text. It's meant for schools and libraries serving readers ages 9 to 14. (MRC47, $27.93)
Morocco, Enchantment of the World  •  Jason Laure  •  Ettagale Blauer CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  1999 •  HARD COVER  • 144 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) This illustrated overview of Moroccan history, geography and culture targets library audiences (and priced accordingly). A bit dry for bedtime reading, it's nevertheless a valuable, comprehensive resource with plenty of color photographs for readers ages 9 to 12. (MRC46, $37.00)
This Is The Oasis  •  Miriam Moss CULTURAL PORTRAIT •  2005 •  HARD COVER • YOUNG READERS (Age 4-8) A lyrical account of the life of the Tuareg in the North African desert, their animals and way of life. With full-page illustrations and simple text. Each stanza begins without the word This is the place. (NAF48, $14.95)
Traveling Man, The Journey of Ibn Battuta, 1325-1354  •  James Rumford TRAVEL NARRATIVE •  2001 •  HARD COVER  • 40 PAGES • MIDDLE READERS (Age 9-12) It's high time someone turned Ibn Battuta's travels into the stuff of a children's book, for if ever a journey could captivate young readers, Ibn Battuta's is it. James Rumford's full-color paintings beautifully illustrate this impressionistic chronicle of a trip throughout the medieval Muslim world (including much of Africa, the Middle East, India, China and Malaysia), and Rumford also thoughtfully includes a map. Geared for ages 9-12. (MDE65, $16.00)