The Shape of Things: How Mapmakers Picture Our World -- New Picture Book Review

 

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Do you use maps? Perhaps you use your GPS but it gives us a map to follow. Today I get to share with you a new picture book that shares a bit of the history of maps and how they have been made over time. The book is The Shape of Things: How Mapmakers Picture Our World by Dean Robbins and illustrated by Matt Tavares. It is recommended for ages 4 to 8.

From the Publisher:

How did the first people explore the land they lived on? How did civilizations expand their boundaries and chart courses into new lands? Learn about the history of cartography across cultures in this ode to mapmaking through the ages.

Join history’s first mapmakers as they explore the wonders of the world! In these pages, you’ll find the tools ancient people used to depict their surroundings, methods different cartographers developed to survey new lands, and how we’ve arrived at modern mapmaking today. Above all else, the thread that runs throughout thousands of years of civilization is the spirit of exploration that helps us measure the shape of things around us, the world we all share.

From Me:

This book discusses maps from as early as cave people. It shares maps from different cultures including Native Americans, Egyptians, Babylonia, Greece, China, and more. It is a wonderful book that shares so much history in a simple way for younger children to understand it. It mentions how many of maps were made using math--in particular geometry. I love how it teaches the history of maps and mapmaking. 

This book is perfect for introducing maps whether doing a mapmaking or a map reading unit. It is also just an interesting book that teaches the history of something many of us use every day. It helps explain the reason we need maps and how that need has been there for every culture all over time. It is perfect for a classroom or to read at home. It is a wonderful way to bring a little nonfiction into your child's life. For more books and activities involving maps check out these past posts.