CurriConnects Book List - Maps
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Maps
These books include a map or maps as part of the plot, especially maps that the reader must use to help find the answer, solve the mystery, etc. The list includes both fiction and non-fiction. Use this list as a complement to your study of map skills and geography.
Preschool and Picture Books
As the Crow Flies: A First Book of Maps - Gail Hartman, (978-0689717628), Fiction
Interest level: K-2, Lexile: 320
Even simple maps can have different perspectives; the ones in this book come from the points of view of a rabbit, crow, horse, gull, and eagle.
Me on the Map - Joan Sweeney, (590107054), Fiction
Interest level: K-2, Lexile: 280
A young girl learns about her place in the world by drawing a map of her room and gradually expanding its inclusionary area.
Early Elementary Books
The Cat Who Got Carried Away - Allan Ahlberg, (763620734), Fiction
Interest level: 1-3, Lexile: 430
Enjoy the zany world of the Gaskitt family as they romp through school and family life.
Maps and Globes - Jack Knowlton, (978-0064460491), Non-fiction
Interest level: 1-4
This book explores how readers can use maps to visit spots all around the world and still spend the night in their own beds.
Mapping Penny's World - Loreen Leedy, (978-0-8050-7262-4), Fiction
Interest level: 1-4, Lexile: 640
Penny and her dog apply her new map-making knowledge by mapping her room and her community.
There's a Map on My Lap! All About Maps - Tish Rabe, (978-0375810992), Fiction
Interest level: K-2
Listen to the Cat in the Hat explain maps and directions.
How I Learned Geography - Uri Shulevitz, (978-0374334994), Fiction
Interest level: 2-5, Lexile: 660
A gifted artist draws from his autobiographical experiences learning to live in a new country after being forced to flee his homeland with his family.
My Town - Rebecca Treays, (746030797), Fiction
Interest level: K-2, Lexile: 390
This book, part of the Young Geography Series, takes a look around one little girl's community.
Upper Elementary to Middle School Books
The Long-Lost Map - Pierdomenico Baccalario, (978-0439774390), Fiction
Interest level: 3-6, Lexile: 630
Sister and brother twins travel to old Egypt through a secret door in search of an important missing map.
The Kingfisher First Dinosaur Picture Atlas - David Burnie, (978-0-7534-6093-1), Non-fiction
Interest level: 5-9
Tyrannosaurs Rex explores his prehistoric environment; users learn map skills.
Hugh Glass, Mountain Man - Robert M. McClung, (978-0688080921), Fiction
Interest level: 4-8, Lexile: 950
A real life mountain inspired this tale of the survival of a lone explorer after a bear attacks him; he literally crawls and paws his way back to civilization.
Middle School to Young Adult Books
The Adventures of Marco Polo - Russell Freedman, (978-0439523943), Non-fiction
Interest level: 7-12, Lexile: 1270
This biography explores life events of one of the most famous early explorers and also uses original sources such as maps, other writings, ancient artwork, and interesting fonts to give readers a feel for the place of research in writing.
My Father's Dragon - Ruth Stiles Gannett, (978-0440421214), Fiction
Interest level: 5-8, Lexile: 990
A runaway boy battles the toughest ogres on a fantasy island in his effort to save a dragon.
The Wizard of Earthsea - Ursula LeGuin, (553262505), Fiction
Interest level: 7-12, Lexile: 1150
A young boy becomes an apprentice wizard and learns to follow his preordained fate to lead.
Eragon - Christopher Paolini, (978-0440240730), Fiction
Interest level: 4-8, Lexile: 710
Farm lad Eragon becomes a heroic leader, struggling to save his Empire with the help of newly learned magic and some interesting friends.
Where Am I?: The Story of Maps and Navigation - A.G. Smith, (978-0773762206), Non-fiction
Interest level: 5-8, Lexile: 960
Read about how the first explorers started to make linear, pictoral records of their travels.
Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stevenson, (978-0192833808), Fiction
Interest level: 6-10, Lexile: 1070
A young innkeeper's son stows away on a ship, mesmerized by fear of Long John Silver, but determined to find the treasure "xed" on a map he has discovered.
The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien, (978-0345339683), Fiction
Interest level: 4-9, Lexile: 1000
Dwarves led by reluctant hobbit Bilbo Baggins set out on a quest to return to their homeland and recoup their missing fortune.
The Wizard's Map - Jane Yolen, (978-0152020675), Fiction
Interest level: 5-8, Lexile: 720
A young brother, skeptical of his sister and mother's insistence on the existence of magic becomes a rapid convert when a dragon and unicorn help him free his kidnapped sister..