Kanu of Kathmandu

Third-grader Kanu is always learning more about his exotic country. Will he be a farmer, like most people in Nepal, or will he work in the city, as his hotel-manager father does? For sure, he will climb in the Himalayas. In this somewhat whirlwind--but nonetheless informative--tour, readers are swept through an ever-changing series of locales and images. A work for this age range can never fully explain such fine points as, for example, differences in a country's various religious groups, but Margolies does a commendable job--her work may well spur additional interest in, and discussions of, this intriguing country. The lucid photographs range from impressive shots of the Himalayas to involving personal studies--``there is a sadhu , a holy man, with a snake!'' Though some questions are left unanswered, this photo-essay offers absorbing glimpses of a seldom read-about country. Ages 6-9. (Sept.)