These children’s books about maps are fabulous for young readers. They foster important critical thinking skills and unleash their inner explorers, too. Check out our list of favorites!
When young readers start school, one of the first things they learn about is how to read a map. Why? Learning how to read a map teaches kids important skills such as spatial awareness and navigation. By engaging with these stories, kids will learn to interpret symbols and shapes, understand scale, and develop an appreciation for geography. Even better? Picture books about maps help foster important critical thinking.
Not only does the ability to read a map impart valuable learning skills to our kids, but they also satisfy our kids’ insatiable curiosity about the world around them. Maps help children learn about their homes, neighborhoods, cities, states, and countries. The possibilities for learning and exploration are endless.
So break out some of these awesome stories, and let the learning begin!
RELATED: We have more than 125 children’s book lists on Happily Ever Elephants. Check out this link!
Children’s books about maps teach children important critical thinking skills. They help teach spatial awareness, how to interpret symbols, and more!
What is your favorite book about maps?
I absolutely adore What a Map Can Do, by Gabrielle Balkan and Alberto Lot. It’s fun, vibrant, and kids simply love it! This book is featured at the top of our list below.
Are these children’s books about maps good for the Playing Preschool curriculum?
Yes! In fact, this list has been designed with Year 2 of Playing Preschool in mind. For all of our Playing Preschool book lists, click here! And to learn more about this fabulous program for preschool at home, click here.
Happily Ever Elephants participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.
RELATED: We’ve got fantastic lists of books for 2-year-olds and books for 3-year-olds right here, so be sure to check them out!
What a Map Can Do
By Gabrielle Balkan and Alberto Lot
We love this new children’s book about maps, featuring a cute raccoon who is going on an adventure. Whether he is in his room, his neighborhood, or a city park, the raccoon learns to read and interpret symbols on maps which helps him explore his surroundings.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Me on the Map
By Joan Sweeney and Annette Cable
This classic has been beloved by classroom teachers for years, for good reason! It is a simple, joyful introduction to maps, offering young readers a great understanding of where they fit in the world, from our home all the way to our country and back again. We love the circular nature of this story, namely how this starts simple, expands, and then comes back around again.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Maps
By Aleksandra Mizielinski and Daniel Mizielinski
In this oversized, stunning book, children will pore over our Earth’s various regions. This book is undoubtedly a visual feast, featuring everything from cities and mountains and rivers to places of cultural and historical importance. It is a beauty, a perfect gift for little explorers, and a book that will grow with your child as they age. An exquisite gem.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Follow that Map! A First Book of Mapping Skills
By Scot Ritchie
How do you get from Point A to Point Z? How do you learn to read a complicated map? This book of mapping skills tackles these issues, offering kids an interactive, seek-and-find book while explaining important mapping concepts, too.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Henry’s Map
By David Elliot
This adorable children’s book about maps features Herny, a very particular pig who just wants to get organized. There’s just one problem. The farm is a mess! Thus, Henry takes it upon himself to map out the area so all the animals there know exactly where they belong. The result? A place for everything, and everything in its place. The sweetest!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
RELATED: We’ve got tons of kindergarten read-alouds for you on Happily Ever Elephants, all of which make for great bedtime stories. Check them out!
Mapping Penny’s World
By Loreen Leedy
Lisa’s class is not just learning how to read maps, but they are learning how to make them, too! Lisa gives readers a great overview of how maps work, how to interpret the key and the symbols, and even how to make a map themselves. After all, she makes a map for her sweet dog, Penny! Children will love the bird’s eye view – and dog’s eye view! – of mapmaking.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
City Atlas: Travel the World With 30 City Maps
By Georgia Cherry and Martin Haake
This is another stunner of a book, filled with maps from Toronto, Rio de Janeiro, New York, San Francisco, and more. Thirty of the world’s most beloved cities are brought to life through these beautifully illustrated maps, teaching young readers about important monuments, key landmarks, and cultural icons, too. Adventurers and explorers will love this one!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
The 50 States
By Gabrielle Balkan and Sol Linero
This is one of our all-time favorite children’s books about maps, filled with fabulously illustrated maps of each of the fifty states. In addition to the map and the great infographics paired with each, young readers will learn key facts about the states, such as their birds and flowers, as well as inspiring people who have a connection to each state. This one is incredible for any child wanting to learn more about the United States through engaging text and illustrations, and it makes a fun gift when paired with its companion, The 50 States: Activity Book. The best!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
The Boy Who Loved Maps
By Kari Allen and G. Brian Karas
One little boy loves everything about maps. He loves reading them. He loves collecting them. And he also loves to make them. When a friend challenges him to make a map of the perfect place, he does a lot of exploring and eventually accepts the challenge. He draws a map of the place that’s right in front of him… his home, because no place is more perfect than that!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
RELATED: Do you have big kids getting ready to read at your house? Don’t miss our fantastic list of the best early reader books!
Spark learning with these children’s books about maps!
When young readers start school, one of the first things they learn about is how to read a map. Why? Learning how to read a map teaches kids important skills such as spatial awareness and navigation. By engaging with these stories, kids will learn to interpret symbols and shapes, understand scale, and develop an appreciation for geography. Even better? Picture books about maps help foster important critical thinking.
Map books teach kids about their world
Not only does the ability to read a map impart valuable learning skills to our kids, but they also satisfy our kids’ insatiable curiosity about the world around them. Maps help children learn about their homes, neighborhoods, cities, states, and countries. The possibilities for learning and exploration are endless.
So break out some of these awesome stories, and let the learning begin!
RELATED: We have more than 125 children’s book lists on Happily Ever Elephants. Check out this link!
Frequently asked questions
Why is it important to read books about maps?Children’s books about maps teach children important critical thinking skills. They help teach spatial awareness, how to interpret symbols, and more!
What is your favorite book about maps?
I absolutely adore What a Map Can Do, by Gabrielle Balkan and Alberto Lot. It’s fun, vibrant, and kids simply love it! This book is featured at the top of our list below.
Are these children’s books about maps good for the Playing Preschool curriculum?
Yes! In fact, this list has been designed with Year 2 of Playing Preschool in mind. For all of our Playing Preschool book lists, click here! And to learn more about this fabulous program for preschool at home, click here.
Happily Ever Elephants participates in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read more about these links in my disclosure policy.
RELATED: We’ve got fantastic lists of books for 2-year-olds and books for 3-year-olds right here, so be sure to check them out!
We love these children’s books about maps!
What a Map Can Do
By Gabrielle Balkan and Alberto Lot
We love this new children’s book about maps, featuring a cute raccoon who is going on an adventure. Whether he is in his room, his neighborhood, or a city park, the raccoon learns to read and interpret symbols on maps which helps him explore his surroundings.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Me on the Map
By Joan Sweeney and Annette Cable
This classic has been beloved by classroom teachers for years, for good reason! It is a simple, joyful introduction to maps, offering young readers a great understanding of where they fit in the world, from our home all the way to our country and back again. We love the circular nature of this story, namely how this starts simple, expands, and then comes back around again.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Maps
By Aleksandra Mizielinski and Daniel Mizielinski
In this oversized, stunning book, children will pore over our Earth’s various regions. This book is undoubtedly a visual feast, featuring everything from cities and mountains and rivers to places of cultural and historical importance. It is a beauty, a perfect gift for little explorers, and a book that will grow with your child as they age. An exquisite gem.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Follow that Map! A First Book of Mapping Skills
By Scot Ritchie
How do you get from Point A to Point Z? How do you learn to read a complicated map? This book of mapping skills tackles these issues, offering kids an interactive, seek-and-find book while explaining important mapping concepts, too.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
Henry’s Map
By David Elliot
This adorable children’s book about maps features Herny, a very particular pig who just wants to get organized. There’s just one problem. The farm is a mess! Thus, Henry takes it upon himself to map out the area so all the animals there know exactly where they belong. The result? A place for everything, and everything in its place. The sweetest!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
RELATED: We’ve got tons of kindergarten read-alouds for you on Happily Ever Elephants, all of which make for great bedtime stories. Check them out!
Mapping Penny’s World
By Loreen Leedy
Lisa’s class is not just learning how to read maps, but they are learning how to make them, too! Lisa gives readers a great overview of how maps work, how to interpret the key and the symbols, and even how to make a map themselves. After all, she makes a map for her sweet dog, Penny! Children will love the bird’s eye view – and dog’s eye view! – of mapmaking.
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
City Atlas: Travel the World With 30 City Maps
By Georgia Cherry and Martin Haake
This is another stunner of a book, filled with maps from Toronto, Rio de Janeiro, New York, San Francisco, and more. Thirty of the world’s most beloved cities are brought to life through these beautifully illustrated maps, teaching young readers about important monuments, key landmarks, and cultural icons, too. Adventurers and explorers will love this one!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
The 50 States
By Gabrielle Balkan and Sol Linero
This is one of our all-time favorite children’s books about maps, filled with fabulously illustrated maps of each of the fifty states. In addition to the map and the great infographics paired with each, young readers will learn key facts about the states, such as their birds and flowers, as well as inspiring people who have a connection to each state. This one is incredible for any child wanting to learn more about the United States through engaging text and illustrations, and it makes a fun gift when paired with its companion, The 50 States: Activity Book. The best!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
The Boy Who Loved Maps
By Kari Allen and G. Brian Karas
One little boy loves everything about maps. He loves reading them. He loves collecting them. And he also loves to make them. When a friend challenges him to make a map of the perfect place, he does a lot of exploring and eventually accepts the challenge. He draws a map of the place that’s right in front of him… his home, because no place is more perfect than that!
BUY THIS BOOK FROM:
RELATED: Do you have big kids getting ready to read at your house? Don’t miss our fantastic list of the best early reader books!