Book review week continues here at the Russian adoption blog. Wish me luck in my move. I'm posting this for Thursday when I'll be completely off-line and frantically covering my kitchen cabinet shelves with contact paper!
Here are two books I heartily recommend for the smaller set of kids adopted from Russia. Russia ABCs, by Ann Berge, and Look What Came From Russia! Harvey.

Russia ABCs is an alphabet book, of course, and in this book each letter of the alphabet corresponds with something to do with Russia. A is alphabet, for example, and the author explains that the Russian alphabet is a Cyrillic alphabet. B is for ballet, and both the Bolshoi Ballet and the Kirov Ballet are very famous. C is for Czar, D is for Doll (the Matryoshka, of course) and E is for Europe, where Russia is located, except for the parts in Asia. It's nice and colorful, although not outstanding in any way and it really just touches on basic elements of Russian culture, but I'd recommend buying it nonetheless. I've had it on a shelf in my office since I got it but when I pulled it out to write this review Little J saw the matryoshkas on the front and got really excited. That's from Russia, like me! he said. I promised him a bedtime read later tonight.

Look What Came from Russia is similar to Russia ABCs in that is glosses over your basic, more stereotypical elements of Russian culture , but I'd also get this book to add to a younger child's collection. The photographs are nice and it's layout is very magazine-y, so kids will find it entertaining. It comes in paperback, too, so it's pretty cheap.

Non-adopted kids or kids with no connection to Russia would enjoy these books, too. They're really simple and basic and appropriate for the younger elementary grades.