Editorial Review

A succinct portrayal of this island nation. Heavily illustrated chapters of one or two pages each treat ‘The Land,’ ‘The People,’ ‘Long Ago,’ ‘Singapore Today,’ ‘Singapore Trivia,’ etc. Text and photographs show how the country is ‘trying to balance traditional ways of life with modern city life.’ Maps are well placed at the beginning of the book, offering a detailed and colorful explanation of Singapore’s exact location, and excellent and current color photographs reveal its beauty. Although it is not mentioned, the significant majority of the population is Chinese, and the text states that ‘Singapore has four official languages – Mandarin, Malay, Tamil, and English.’ Yet, there is only a list of some basic Malay words and their pronunciation. Despite this shortcoming, the book provides students with the awareness that this flourishing nation-state, though small, is important.