Flags of the World: The History and Culture of Nations’ Banners

by Sylvie Bednar

In designer and author Sylvie Bednar’s complete compendium of the world’s flags, Flags of the World , each nation’s flag is paired with facts and tidbits of history. These flags provide a window into the histories, values, and cultures of countries around the world.

Waving in the wind, a flag may not seem like a code. But hidden in the stripes, stars, suns, moons, and colors of the world’s flags are the keys to understanding different countries’ shared histories and cherished ideals.

Flags do much more than identify countries and groups of people. In every color, pattern, and design, the citizens and governments of countries announce their allegiances and herald their history. If you know what to look for, a flag can reveal major insights into another country’s history and culture.

Genres: Nonfiction, Geography, Childrens, History

192 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2008

Reviews

[Karina · Rating 5 out of 5]

such a cool book!! Esp for the little's in your life.

[Andrew Park · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very factual, I will admit that. The descriptions on some of the flags were clear, descriptive, and just plain awesome!
However, some of the flag descriptions were not present, which infuriated me a lot.
Also, some of the flag descriptions were very poorly written, like Nigeria's flag.
I recommend this book to 10-18 year old people who have trouble with geography/know a lot about flags but want to know more.
Read this book. You will probably not regret it.

[Leo Gebleux · Rating 5 out of 5]

Explications des pays pour les enfants.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very helpful when trying to learn flags and countries for Geogrid, Flagle, Flagdle, and Worldle.

[Brittany Herrera]

Title: Bednar, S. (2009). Flags of the world. New York City: Abrams.

Name: Brittany Herrera

Type of Reference: Geographical Reference

Call Number: CR109

Description: This book consists of vibrant images of flags that take an entire page to display. Along with the flags students are presented with data on the country of the flag such as population, and geographical information. This book is recommended for 4-7 grade students.

Review:
The vibrant flag images included in this flag-shaped, coffee-table-appropriate book are treated as works of art in and of themselves, with many taking up a full page (spot art depicts native peoples, sites and animals). The symbolic components of each flag are analyzed (the flag for Papua New Guinea features a yellow bird found nowhere else in the world), and statistical, sociological and geographical information is given for each country. Flag aficionados and students of geography should appreciate the attention paid to each stylized form. Ages 8-12. (Aug.)

Citation of Review: Flags of the World. (2009). [Review of the book Flags of the world]. Publishers Weekly, 256(30), 62.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is super interesting, and I really loved learning bout the different countries and flags. The only problem- not enough information! Some countries are featured a lot more than others, and I really wish that all of the countries had the same amount of interesting facts in the book. Some really only have the picture of the flag, which is not enough. Maybe there is an adult book I could check out?

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most popular books in our library. It's a smallish book - chunky and glossy-paged. Each country's flag is shown against a clean modern layout. Listed facts about the country keep the text from overpowering the visual appeal of the flag itself.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fun book about the world's flags. Beautiful illustrations of the flags with lots of intersting information. Excellent reference book!

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Stephen, age 9: Includes information about region, currency, capital city, elevation, area, and language for each country.