As the Crow Flies - A First Book of Maps

This is the sort of book that I wanted to be more interesting and effective than it really was, for my little boy. He is still a toddler, and maybe this would work for bigger kids, but he is advanced for his age and loves maps, so I don't think this was beyond him. In concept, it's great: it follows a stream, a road, a crow, a horse, etc. on their travels through the countryside, and at the end of each "chapter" it draws a little "map" for the journey of each. At the end of the book, there is a summation and then all of the "maps" are gathered together in one big map. This is presumably intended to teach the whole idea that maps are very small snapshots of big territories, and other basic concepts about maps. But I don't know that it conveyed much to our little boy. He likes it OK but he doesn't ask for it. But he does love his globe and maps. I rate this 4 stars because I personally would give it 5 stars while my son's excitement level seems around 2-3.

This is a great book from the 'teaching the concept' point of view, but what it more it is beautiful (great art work) and sweet for little chidren, with each map introduced through teh eyes of an animal's travels.

This is a wonderful book for young readers. It shows a good picture of the small part of the that many of us live in.

Good reading for 3-8 yrs. This book wins big points for originality. It serves as a good tool for demonstrating how places relate to each other and exposes them to the concept of maps. They are very basic maps--landmarks only--combined with good illustrations, that make it so easy for children to comprehend.

This is a wonderful way to introduce kids to maps and mapping. The concept of showing the world through a series of eyes invites the child into maps in an innovative and meaningful way.