maps

2 Delightfully Detailed Picture Books

| Tasha

A Book of Maps for You by Lourdes Heuer, illustrated by Maxwell Eaton III (9780823455706)

From a map of the town with its orange groves, this book of maps explores neighborhoods, yards, the local school, the town library, the city park, and Main Street. At the end of the book, the person creating the maps heads away to a car and moving van and a new person finds the book of maps waiting as they arrive to what is their new home.

Full of wry details, this book offer the joy of maps large and small and exploring them on the page. An inspiring book that will have children creating their own maps. 

Appropriate for ages 4-6. Reviewed from library copy.

The Gnome Book by Loes Riphagen, translated by Michele Hutchison (9781782694687)

Kick is a gnome who wants to share everything about how gnomes live. Gnomes live in cities and villages mostly, between the walls. Kick shows readers how to make their own gnome hat, what clothes they have, and what pet insects they own. They share their collections and their favorite things as well as details about their family, school and life.

Filled with details to pore over, this Dutch picture book gives a humorous glimpse of the life of a tiny gnome that will have young readers glued to the page. Small touches throughout the book award a slow approach and deep reading. 

Appropriate for ages 4-6. Reviewed from library copy.

Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea by Robert Burleigh

| Tasha

Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea by Robert Burleigh

Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea: Marie Tharp Maps the Ocean Floor by Robert Burleigh, illustrated by Raul Colón (InfoSoup)

This picture book biography tells the story of Marie Tharp, a scientist who was the first to map the ocean floor. The daughter of a mapmaker, Marie grew up following her father into the field as he created his maps. In the 1940s, Marie became a scientist and looked for a place to focus her attention where she could have a new idea. Scientists were just starting to measure the ocean depths using soundings, using echoes to assess depth. Marie worked to piece all of these measurements together into a map of the ocean floor, revealing mountain ranges under water and helping prove the theory of plate tectonics as she revealed a deep narrow valley running the length of the Atlantic Ocean. Marie Tharp is one of the 20th centuries most important scientists thanks to her discoveries as she mapped the ocean floors of our planet.

Burleigh has once again captured a female scientist and the importance of her role in science and in breaking barriers. The understated drama here is nicely handled, the defensiveness of some male scientists, the way that women were not welcome on boats, and the quiet way that Tharp worked to make her own unique impact on science. As readers see the importance of perseverance in scientific discovers and the importance of resilience in the face of resistance, they will understand that these apply to their own lives as well.

Working once again with Burleigh, Colón shows in images the vital importance that mapping the ocean floor had in understanding our planet and the way that it functions. The mapping of the ocean floor offers great images from the large maps to the underwater scenes that invite readers to think about what lies unseen under the ocean.

A dynamite pick for public and school libraries, this is an opportunity to learn about an important female scientist. Appropriate for ages 7-9.

Reviewed from library copy.

Review: The Glass Sentence by S. E. Grove

| Tasha

glass sentence

The Glass Sentence by S. E. Grove

Released June 12, 2014.

The first book in a new fantasy trilogy by a debut author, this novel features incredible world-building and an amazing young heroine.  The world changed when the Great Disruption happened in 1799.  When the Disruption occurred different points of time were merged together into a single world.  Now almost 100 years after the Disruption, Sophia lives in Boston which is part of New Occident.  She lives with her uncle after her parents disappeared while exploring other eras when she was a child.  Her uncle is one of the best map makers and map readers in the world, a skill that become necessary when the world changed.  But then her uncle is kidnapped and their home ransacked.  Sophia finds herself journeying to Nochtland with a boy she just met following a clue her uncle left her before he was taken.  Her journey will lead her to different times and different places in the company of many different characters.  Little does she know, but it’s a journey to save the world.

Grove’s novel brims with details about this new world she has envisioned.  The world is a unique one, unlike anything I have ever read before.  It’s a mix of historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction and adventure.  The addition of the different eras in time makes for a book that is surprising and great fun to read.  It also offers all sorts of new and varied adventures for the subsequent books in the trilogy. 

I must admit to not being a huge fan of books with lots of traveling and quests, but Grove maintains the brisk pace of the novel throughout and the travel is an important part of the story itself.  Grove brings her world fully to life, making sure to fill it with characters that readers will embrace and enjoy spending time with.  Sophia is a girl with lots of brains and plenty of bravery, but one who has been sheltered much of her life.  My favorite character though is the villain of the story, Blanca, who steals memories from people using sand.  She is incredibly creepy and frightening, yet has her own motivation and goals beyond just stealing memories.

Get this into the hands of fans of complex fantasy like The Golden Compass, they will find a whole new world to love here.  Appropriate for ages 11-14.

Reviewed from copy received from Viking.

Review: Henry’s Map by David Elliot

| Tasha

henrys map

Henry’s Map by David Elliot

Henry was a pig who believed in being neat and tidy with everything in its place.  So when he looked out from his very clean sty, he was bothered by the messiness of the farmyard.  He decided to make a map, so that everyone could find things on the farm.  That meant he had to travel around the farm and write things down.  He included the sheep and the woolshed, Abigail the cow with her tree, Mr. Brown the horse and his stable, and the chicken coop.  Then all of the animals climbed up a nearby hill to look down on the farm and compare it to Henry’s map.  But when they looked closely, none of them were where they were marked on the map!  Luckily though, they all knew right where they belonged thanks to the map and back they all went, even Henry.

Elliot has a feel for writing picture books.  His pacing is delightful, the storyline is dynamic but not frenetic, and the characters are personable and ones that you want to befriend.  Henry is a little pig with a big vision, and there is satisfaction in him completing a big project on his own.  Elliot also nicely navigates having just the right amount of text on the page, enough to tell a full story but not too much to overwhelm or bog it down.  Add the twist of the animals being alarmed at not being in the same place as the map tells them they should be, and you have a very strong read. 

Elliot is the artist behind the Brian Jacques series of books.  Here his art has a wonderful playfulness but also a timelessness.  This book is beautifully illustrated with lots of jolly characters and one very serious pig.  The map itself looks like something a child would make complete with drawings and misspellings. 

A top pick, this picture book is perfect for map units in preschool and elementary school.  It also makes a fun addition to any farm or pig story time.  Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy received from Philomel.