What A Map Can Do
Written by Gabrielle Balkin; Illustrated by Alberto Lot
Welcome! This week’s issue of The Page Turn has maps, mushrooms and—in true Halloween spirit—a few ghosts, too. Read on for this week’s review, plus books that deserve looks!
Today’s review starts with a big shoutout: I have to credit Lisa Lerner, my fearless PB workshop leader, who has introduced me to many of my favorite picture books. She has a knack for finding exceptional titles, and that includes today’s non-fiction gem: WHAT A MAP CAN DO.
Written by Gabrielle Balkan, illustrated by Alberto Lot, and published in 2023, WHAT A MAP CAN DO is a wonderfully effective introduction to maps—from understanding them conceptually, to reading them, to seeing how versatile they are.
With friendly, accessible prose and easy-to-follow art, this book cemented its place in my PB recommendation canon when my (then) three-year-old gobbled it up on the first read…and after, was inspired to draw her own maps! It’s a title equally at home in a preschool or early elementary classroom; all to say, I consider it essential for every young child’s bookshelf.
Let’s see where WHAT A MAP CAN DO takes us!
“Psst. Come a little closer. I’ve got something to show you. …It’s something small, like me. And it shows you something big.”
So begins our introduction to maps, and with a raccoon guide (and narrator!) to boot. During my first read, I recall feeling intrigued—and charmed—by the juxtaposition Balkan describes in these opening lines. Something small that shows me something big? How can I NOT turn the page?
From here, WHAT A MAP CAN DO introduces the concept of a map by, well, starting small. Or, at least close to home.
The first map is simple—it features our raccoon friend’s bedroom. Drawing a map of a child’s bedroom, filled with objects familiar to most kids is smart, as it lays the groundwork for easy recognition. And, Balkin’s prose is there to further cement the young map-reader’s confidence:
“I draw at my desk. Can you find it on the map?” the raccoon asks. “Can you find my stuffed animal? It’s on my bed. Point to it!” With these questions, and the layout featuring dual perspectives of the room, readers quickly make the connection between what they see “in real life” and how that translates to a bird’s-eye view.
From the bedroom, our “view” zooms out.
On the next spread we explore a map of the raccoon’s home (a floor plan layout, if you will), and next, a map of the neighborhood. Readers are encouraged to “find the path from my home to the playground,” with the concept of symbols introduced. From here on out, the raccoon face badge indicates “you are here” on each of the book’s maps, helping to orient the reader.
How great is this? As the book progresses, additional map concepts are introduced. We learn about map keys, and how to read them…
And about roads and highways, with different numerical markers and colors to mark each…
And even maps we sometimes forget are maps, like this meteorological map!
All the while, as the book progresses our “view” continues to zoom outward. From bedroom, to neighborhood, to city, to region, with stops at a museum, a campsite, the body, and even the sky along the way. (The sky? Yep, WHAT A MAP CAN DO covers constellations, which after all, are a map to the stars!)
What a map can do? What can’t it do?
So your reader has mastered maps? Check out Gabrielle Balkin’s THE 50 STATES, a book of infographic maps taking readers through the U.S.
She’s also got a (sort of) follow up to WHAT A MAP CAN do out this November, called WHAT MEDICINE CAN DO. More about it here:
Support the makers:
Buy your copy:
MORE BRAND NEW BOOKS I WANNA PEEK AT:
Tea is Love, by Adib Khorram and Hanna Cha
Lena the Chicken (But Really a Dinosaur!), by Linda Bailey and K-Fai Steele
The Gland Factory: A Tour of Your Body’s Goops, Juices, and Hormones, by Rachel Poliquin and Clayton Hanmer
The Adventures of Cipollino, by Gianni Rodari and Dasha Tolstikova
This Is Our World: Our Favorite Food: Taste 20 delicious dishes from around the world, by Tracey Turner and Asa Gilland
🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄🍄
OF NOTE:
There are three different picture books about mushrooms out this week! If your little one finds funghi fun, check these out:
M E T A
In this Post: What A Map Can Do, written by Gabrielle Balkin and illustrated by Alberto Lot
Keywords: maps, non-fiction, cartography, navigation, meteorology, routes, compass, constellations, legend, key