Too often the cultural heritage of the American Southwest is lost on children living in the region, or those visiting it with their families, because publications and park interpretive exhibits fail to appeal to a young audience. But a new oversized book from the Southwest Parks and Monuments Association, a non-profit group that helps fund national park educational activities, presents 12,000 years of prehistory and history in a way that will capture the imagination of inquisitive youngsters.
In 101 Questions About Ancient Indians of the Southwest, noted author David Grant Noble succeeds in translating an enormous body of information into a colorful, enticing, and highly understandable summary. The book’s question-and-answer format begins with the Paleo-Indian period (“How could anyone walk all the way from Asia to Arizona?”), moves to the Archaic (“What were some of the hunter-gatherers’ favorite foods?”), then devotes the majority of the text to the Hohokam, Anasazi, Mogollon, Sinagua, and Salado cultures (“What did the Hohokam do for fun?” “Did Anasazi homes have kitchens?”). The book closes with a brief discussion of present-day Indian cultures in the region.
Boasting a carefully chosen collection of illustrations and photographs, 101 Questions is an affordable educational tool for children wanting to know more about those who came before. —James Burroughs
