What a map can do by Gabrielle Balkan, illustrated by Alberto Lot

 I'm always fascinated by picture books about maps, despite the fact that not only have I never really figured out how to read maps, I consistently get lost pretty much everywhere I go and have no sense of direction. Maybe it's just a dream of what could have been!

This is a fun addition to the genre, featuring a smiling raccoon, who introduces the readers to the concept of maps. It starts with a map of a bedroom, then expands outwards to a neighborhood and city. Specific types of maps, like bus routes and museum guides are included here, before the journey widens once more to road maps, trail routes, weather maps, and star maps. The last few pages provide an index, with thumbnails, of all the different types of maps included in the book.

The art is simple and cheerfully colored, with large, well-illustrated keys to the different maps. The explanatory text is fairly lengthy, but this is an informational, rather than read-aloud, book.

Verdict: Pair this with other stories exploring maps like Mapping Sam by Joyce Hesselberth or Julie Dillemuth's titles to introduce young children to reading, understanding, and creating their own maps. This covers slightly different territory than the other titles so is worth purchasing for a complete introduction to the concept.

ISBN: 9780593519981; Published July 2023 by Rise X Penguin Workshop; Review copy provided by the publisher; Donated to the library