Maps in Children's Books

Using the ranch map included in the Meet the Applemans K-1 Reading Series has been an unexpected delight. I didn’t anticipate six and seven year old students would be so fascinated with a basic map of the ranch setting, but I have noticed they are consistently drawn to the map. Providing a visual of the ranch setting helps them imagine the characters moving and doing things in a more concrete, believable way. They use the map to think about where the characters in the stories are going, where they have been, and where they might go someday. Because of this, I laminate the map so the students and I can draw and redraw routes for the characters. This activity strengthens their reading comprehension of the stories and fuels their imaginations.

This fascination with the map shouldn’t have surprised me. When I was a kid, I missed a lot of school for ranch work, but had excellent attendance in fifth grade when my teacher, Mr. Atwood gave each us a copy of the map from J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit. Each day, we followed along with our maps as Bilbo journeyed closer and closer to Smaug’s dragon lair under the mountain. That famous quest was thrilling and all the more real because of the map and the fact that Mr. Atwood looked a little bit like a hobbit as he read. I fought hard not to miss a single day of school during that epic adventure.

Recently, I’ve taken more notice of children’s books that include a map. Editor Huw Lewis-Jones has collected some of those maps into a book called The Writer’s Map: An Atlas of Imaginary Lands. It contains maps from many fabulous literary works. It also reveals to us that some authors create maps of their imaginary lands as catalysts to craft their stories. Maps can be powerful tools when planning adventures—real or imaginary.

To help students write their own stories, we often begin with graphic organizers to help them assemble their thoughts about their characters and structure their stories. Sometimes, this can be difficult for a student or result in a lackluster tale. Maybe it would be useful to begin with what many successful authors of fantastic adventures have done: Create a map and dream a little.

I think maybe that's a life lesson.