Jigsaw World Atlas

Children's Literature

Maps are special. Since their invention they have aided mariners, promoted discovery, and—closer to home—sent millions of American families on their own journeys of discovery via the good old AAA. How delightful, then, to find this present from Britain of a handsome, sturdy board book filled with six jigsaw puzzle maps of the continents as a starter for youngsters' voyages of the mind, and perhaps even as an inspiration for budding cartographers. Each easily removable and replaceable (more to the point!) puzzle map is illustrated with highlights that are further emphasized by the map's facing identification page: Africa has it Great Pyramid, gorillas, Mount Kilimanjaro; Europe the Eiffel Tower, Big Ben, St. Basil's Cathedral; South America Angel Falls and Machu Picchu. Colin King's illustrations have the right mix of the identifiable and the playful. He's even given a nod to Renaissance cartographers' "monsters lie here" marginalia with his cavorting whales and narwhals that liven the oceans. Designer Brian Voakes pulled the whole together with appropriate borders and the final end pages full-world map. Run out and get this Atlas for your kids—then enjoy exploring the world with them! 2004, Usborne, Ages 3 to 8.
—Kathleen Karr