Review by Booklist Review
A child's handmade book of maps and drawings of their house, neighborhood, elementary school, park, and small town makes up this imaginative offering. On some of the maps and other drawings, captions point out need-to-know features, such as why Friday lunches in school cafeteria are great: "double-cheese pizza and orangeade ices." Some maps are laid out like floor plans, while others offer bird's-eye views of outdoor locations. All are full of color and interesting details, such as the house that goes "all out" with Halloween decorations. On the overhead view of the maze at the park is the challenge, "Can you find your way out?" The virtual tour of the town includes the child's bedroom, which has a skylight that's perfect for viewing the sky at night. A bittersweet reveal confirms that the mapmaker's family is moving away and the maps are for a new kid to enjoy. This picture book combines a fresh idea with engaging illustrations, which include a fanciful "pirate map." The narrative and the illustrations, created with pens, watercolors, and colored pencils, are convincingly childlike as well as fun. A useful, creative addition to elementary-school map units and a thoughtful project idea for kids.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
In an almost empty attic, a budding cartographer sits at a desk, creating an atlas for an unknown recipient. The resultant maps' first-person annotations are reportorial in style, and it's quickly apparent that the places and spaces, drawn by Eaton (Looking for Peppermint) in colored pencil, pen, and watercolor, portray a beloved personal geography. A bird's-eye view of the mapmaker's town envisions orange groves that "smell like fresh-squeezed juice and honey." Another page depicts a bustling backyard farm, noting which hens lay what color eggs. Aisles are lovingly labeled in a view of the local art supply store, where "I used up my allowance for tape, paper, pencils, and pens in cobalt blue." The painstaking accumulation of detail takes on a subtle poignancy: as pages turn, readers learn about the mapmaker's friends and mentors, favorite foods, and sense of place. The final pages reveal that the young creator is relocating, and the "you" in the title refers to the attic's next occupant, transforming the story by Heuer (the Teeny Tiendas series) into a meditation on what makes up both a home and a generous spirit. Characters are portrayed with various skin tones. Ages 4--8. Author's agent: Kelly Sonnack, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator's agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary. (Mar.)
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Review by Horn Book Review
Narrated in the style of a personalized guidebook, the story unfolds as a series of maps, introducing a child to a new home and its environs within a vibrant community. Aerial and wide-angle shots highlight varied neighborhoods in the town -- from the elementary school and a little farm to its public library and park -- creating a sense of a thriving space and setting all the town's residents in their respective establishments. Vivid watercolors and hand-drawn images on double-page spreads encourage repeated viewings to absorb all the details. Deviating from a linear narrative sequence of events, similar to the panoramic style of cartoonist Chris Ware, this cartographic tour invites readers to engage their observational and spatial relational skills in an interactive format. At the same time, its welcoming tone (from a narrator who may just have personal experience with what the child is going through) delivers an uplifting message that beckons the newcomer, allaying the character's -- and maybe some readers' anxieties and mixed feelings about moving to a new home. Jerry DearMarch/April 2025 p.48 (c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A small community is lovingly mapped. "I made a book of maps," says an unseen narrator. First, readers glimpse the map of a town, then one of a specific street. The narrator presents maps of a school, a library, and an art supply store. Along the way, readers learn about the kindly, diverse people who inhabit this idyllic neighborhood. There's even a map of "our house," with special attention drawn to the leaky bathroom sink and the pipes that "sound like a ghost" and a suggestion "to put your bed under the skylight for the best view of the stars." Then, all at once, everything in the book is turned entirely on its head as the narrator reveals that these maps are "for you…so you'll find your way in your new home." Clever kids will realize that the person who made the book is moving away from all these beloved people and places yet still wants to help the next resident feel truly at home. A wide variety of maps are presented from different angles, offering readers inspiration for creating their own (aerial views, street maps, mazes, etc.). Eaton's cartoon artwork deftly homes in on humorous details, then steps back for a concluding shot of a youngster reading this book, seen from behind, bringing this original take on moving to a simple yet touching finale. A bittersweet tribute that makes a poignant connection between maps and the concept of home.(Picture book. 4-7) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
