Picture Books for Teaching Map and Globe Skills
Looking for picture book titles that you can use for teaching map and globe skills? Try these, and then share your experiences and recommendations for other teachers!
My Map Book by Sara Fanelli - Explore the many variations on what can be mapped (ideas, locations, your day, your year, your summer vacation, your writing, your ideas...) Can easily be adapted for any age, K-5.
The Amazing Pop-Up Geography Book by Kate Petty & Jennie Maizels - Children will read through and manipulate the pop-ups in this book again and again, and along the way they will learn many essential concepts and cool facts about the world. Good for any K-5.
Our World: A Child's First Picture Atlas by National Geographic - Beautiful, bright, and simple introduction to the world for very young children.
As the Crow Flies by Gail Hartman - another good map book for primary grades.
Mapping Penny's World by Loreen Leedy - Good way to introduce map basics to primary students.
Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney - Good introduction to maps leading young students to want to make one of their own.
Looking at Maps and Globes by Carmen Bredeson - Very simple and clear introduction to basic map terminology for K-1.
Maps & Globes by Harriett Barton - Good for use with 2nd and 3rd graders, nice overview of skills with nice clear illustrations.
There's a Map on My Lap! by Tish Rabe - surprisingly in-depth coverage for a Seuss type book, with discussion of several different types of maps, latitude/longitude lines, and topographical maps in addition to the basics.
The Once Upon a Time Map Book by B. G. Hennessey - Take a tour of six enchanted lands with maps from stories like Peter Pan, The Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Jack and the Beanstalk, Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs, and Aladdin. Lends itself beautifully to reading and then mapping an fairy tale location. The maps are quite detailed and would probably work best with intermediate students.
