All About Maps

by Catherine Chambers

Discusses how and why we use maps and examines the many different forms that they can take

Paperback

First published October 1, 1997

Reviews

[Alicia Cantu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love this one!


Genre: Informative
Grade: any

[Elsie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Personal reaction- When looking for an informational book, there are so many to choose and some of the subjects of the book seem very dull for anyone to read about. This book however was completely different. This book takes the topic of maps and provides a very vivid description and makes the topic completely interesting and appealing to people of all different ages. The many different pictures and subtitles make the book an easy read while still providing a ton of different examples of a maps, scales, and even keys to maps. Read aloud for curricular connection- I would use this book to demonstrate the importance of maps and reading maps. This book gives the reader an idea of maps and places which involve geography. You could use this book to demonstrate and introduce geography and mapping of various places you have learned about. Independent reading- I would use this book for grades second and above. This book’s layout is very appropriate for children of younger ages, but the relevance of the subject may be too much to handle. However the content of this book is very fitting for children to learn about maps and differentiate the maps, scales, keys, and graphs. For narrative- This book does not contain many literary elements such as setting, plot, or characters. However, this book can teach children about the specific genre of interest (informational/non-fiction). This book can teach children about the importance of non-fiction books and the factual information that can be obtained through the book. This book can teach children about finding topics through searching the index and learning about where to look and define words. For non-fiction- The typical non-fiction conventions we can notice in this book include the index, graphs, and glossary. The children will notice a difference in this book from their other books. The children will associate this book with their normal school textbooks because of the similarities with the index and glossary. Children can learn that not all books are fiction and some can be factual without sharing the same qualities of a school textbook. Comments- this book is excellent for children to learn about scientific language. Many times children are only accustomed to textbooks and fiction, fantasy, etc. books. This will give the child a better understanding of fiction verses non-fiction and the usefulness of informational books.

[Emily Peer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Personal reaction: this book is full of great information about maps. Each page has so much information about symbols on the map, different kinds of maps, cardinal directions and more. The illustrations are a mixture of drawings and real pictures. The book has a textbook format.
Read aloud: I would use this as a read aloud during a Social Studies unit in the second grade. I would just a read a part of the book since every section has so much information. After reading about landmarks on a map I would ask the students if they have any landmarks that tells them if they're close to school or home. This would be a great book to spark up a conversation about maps or begin a lesson.
Independent reading: Im not sure if this would be a student's first choice when picking a book to independently read. But this book would be a good tool to use when testing to see if students are comprehending what they read on their own.
Nonfiction conventions: This book includes multiple blurbs on each page and has an index and glossary of important words. The book also includes a key and explains what they are and why they are important when dealing with maps.

[Ashley Quick]

Awards the book has received:
No awards received

Appropriate grade level(s):
3-5

Original summary:
The book has a textbook format. It contains a lot of information about kinds of maps, symbols on a map, north east south and west, etc. The reader will also learn how to use maps.

Original review:
I like the book because it gives valuable information about and how to navigate maps. Also, its structure helps the reader easily navigate the book to find specific information about maps.

Possible in-class uses:
-This would be a good book to start conversation or a lesson about maps in Social Studies unit.
- Identifying the main idea of an informational text and identifying important details that support the main idea.
-This book can teach children about finding different information by searching the index and learning about where to look for and define words