Joan Sweeney is a children's book author. She has written several books, including Me on the Map, Me and My Place in Space, Me and My Amazing Body, Me and My Family Tree, Me Counting Time, Me and the Measure of Things, and Me and My Senses.
Annette Cable is a children's book illustrator. She has illustrated several books, including Me on the Map, Me and My Place in Space, Me and My Amazing Body, Me and My Family Tree, Me Counting Time, Me and the Measure of Things, Me and My Senses.
Simplifying the abstract nature of maps, Sweeney encourages the cartographer in every child. Step by step, moving from a personal to a global scale, a girl explains what maps are by giving clear, easily grasped examples. First, standing in a cheerful bedroom, she tells readers, "This is me in my room." On the facing page, she has drawn herself in a childlike overview layout of her bedroom. "This is me on the map of my room," she says, proudly. Next, a framed painting of her house is faced by a blueprint "map" of her house. The pattern continues throughout the book, with scenic views (a picture of her town, an impression of her state, a Steinberg-esque vision of the U.S.) followed by maps of each area. Debut artist Cable's clear, crisp renderings show a wealth of detail on the scenic illustrations, while her creative progression of maps includes handmade examples, a souvenir state map, an elementary classroom map of the country and, finally, a "flat" map of the world. An admirable effort, and one that kids will enjoy replicating. Ages 3-7. (Apr.)
Gr 1-2‘A nameless child introduces the world of cartography. Using the premise that simple drawings can be maps, the book begins with crayon drawings of the floor plans of the girl's room and house. The concept becomes progressively more complex, as her horizons expand from home to street, to town, to state, to country, and finally to the world. Colorful illustrations show a composite of the entire area that is being charted on the facing page. On each successive page, the child points out her street, hometown, state, and country. The process then reverses as she finds the U.S. on a world map and works back down the scale to her own room again. The text concludes with the statement that "...everybody has their own special place on the map." Not an essential purchase, but one that could be useful for teaching basic skills at the primary level.‘Eldon Younce, Harper Elementary School, KS
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