A volume in the "Watts Library" series of reference tools for middle schoolers, this slim illustrated book introduces the geology, nature and, especially, the history of the region. It's a good introduction to the ancient cultures of Mesopotamia as well as modern conflicts over control of the rivers which flow from the eastern higlands of Turkey through Iraq to the Persian Gulf. Packed with color photographs, maps, charts, graphs, sidebars, and short biographies.  (MDE62, $12.50)