Review of The Boy Who Loved Maps by Kari Allen

Authors

Rachel Crane, Cedarville UniversityFollow

Publisher

Anne Schwartz Books

City

New York, New York, United States of America

Date of Publication

2022

ISBN

9781984852304

Date of Review

2023

Disciplines

Library and Information Science | Modern Literature

Keywords

Children's literature, reviews, maps

Review

A young boy loves collecting, studying, and creating maps. From small maps to large maps, from city maps to maps of continents, this boy—called the Mapmaker—draws the lands he dreams of and reads about in books. A girl visits the Mapmaker and asks him to create a map of the perfect place, a warm place with treasures and joy. No matter how many questions he asks, the Mapmaker struggles in understanding what the girl wants. In response, the girl decides that they should go exploring. Always up for adventure, the Mapmaker agrees. They visit the library, the bakery, the park, and finally, the girl’s home. The Mapmaker then realizes that he has never drawn a map of home. He and the girl create this new map together, realizing that they both need it. Following the story, Allen defines map words such as cartography and compass rose—and defines what a map is. Allen’s creative use of an adventure story shows home’s importance and would work as a primary age child’s bedtime story.

Highly Recommended Rachel Crane, Centennial Library Intern, Cedarville University

Recommended Citation

Crane, Rachel, "Review of The Boy Who Loved Maps by Kari Allen" (2023). Library Intern Book Reviews. 365.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/intern_book_reviews/365

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