Usborne Law for Beginners

In tone it is a sort of Sunday School book for a certain church of thought. It even looks like one of those illustrated bible stories with lots of pictures and a couple dozen words appearing in cartoon bubbles per page. They claim to give an international perspective, but really it much more limited, and they even mess it up a bit. p85 does not say what country the Disability and Discrimination Act was passed in. And they seem to be oblivious that the US is not a monolithic entity with free and slave states since the beginning, and incorrectly claim that all poor blacks were not allowed to vote in the country until 1965. On p64 they lay the sins of slavery upon the feet of the Americans, missing completely its ancient history involving many peoples in many countries. On p98 and p99 there are no page numbers when they raise the question of police violence, with the cartoon bubbles in two columns showing a debate both giving the same side. There is a brief high level description of law in the front of the book, so a person who only flips through the front might misunderstand where the book is leading. Though there is a hint of what is to come when they chose to cover criminal law first .. with ten year olds. On p59 they note Hitler killed 6 million Jews, when in the camps 20 million *people* died. They left out gypsies, gays, handicapped people, Soviets, and political enemies among others. This is an egregious error when more than half the book is about social justice for all. In the hands of an adult parent who was aware of history and willing to discuss some of the important issues raised and also the shortcomings of some of the points offered, going through the this book might be worthwhile. If for no other reason, that the fact that if the parents do not do this, then people like these authors will take advantage of that situation.

Really good for my child who wants to become a police officer

I bought this book for a 13 year old who’s behind grade level in reading and hopes to become a lawyer. I was hoping this would help them get excited about reading. A couple of comments: 1. What some people are calling “too woke,” I call “realistic understanding of the world.” The legal system isn’t equal or fair for everyone, and recognizing that isn’t “too woke.” I was giving this book to a child of color, so I especially appreciated that this book was recognizing the system follies. 2. I didn’t realize before buying the book that it’s made in UK and thus slightly more oriented to the UK. That said, it overall does takes a relatively global/universal scope so it’s not too bad- just something to keep in mind if gifting to an American. I made sure I provided the context for the child I gave the book to.

Great beginner book for young ones with an interest to Law. Great interactive pages that keeps the reader engaged and interested

I used to teach law at universities. This book is excellent for an introduction to legal systems around the world, especially for kids. It covers everything they need to know, succinctly. My son now knows about international law, war crimes, contact law, law makers, judges and more. Nice pictures and illustrations makes it interesting for younger readers. Highly recommended as a springboard to further readings.