A Book of Maps for You

by Lourdes Heuer, Maxwell Eaton III (Illustrator)

Overview

What if you moved into a new house and found a secret guidebook? Look inside buildings and search for surprises in this enthralling, interactive book of maps.

In A Book of Maps for You, a young cartographer leaves a one-of-a-kind gift behind for the kid moving into his old house. He’s drawn and annotated maps of all the neighborhood places of interest—no playground, reading nook, or chicken coop left uncharted.

During a big move, a child can feel a lot of pressure to be excited for the future, to open their heart to the place they’re headed. But the roads they’ve been down hundreds of times, the familiar faces, and the house where they know every noisy pipe and leaky faucet all deserve care, too.

A Book of Maps for You honors the homes we leave behind and the ones we haven’t met yet, reminding us that they may just be two sides of the same coin. Lourdes Heuer’s attentive text speaks volumes in each word, and Maxwell Eaton III’s signature detail-rich illustrations call for re-reads to drink in and explore every page

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823455706
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	04/08/2025
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Lourdes Heuer has written several books for young readers. She is the author of the Esme! early chapter book series, featuring art by #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator Marissa Valdez, and the picture book On This Airplane, illustrated by Pura Belpré Award Honoree Sara Palacios. She is also a poet, translator, and college professor. She lives in South Florida with her husband, son, and many dogs.

Maxwell Eaton III is the author and illustrator of Bear Builds a House, Bear Goes Sugaring, and Looking for Peppermint, as well as the The Truth About series, Seriously Funny Facts About Your Favorite Animals. This series includes The Truth About Dolphins, The Truth About Hippos, The Truth About Elephants and The Truth About Bears, which received multiple starred reviews. He lives in the Adirondack Mountains of New York State with his partner and two children.

Editorial Reviews

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.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

A meditation on what makes up both a home and a generous spirit.
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

This picture book combines a fresh idea with engaging illustrations. . . . The narrative and the illustrations, created with pens, watercolors, and colored pencils, are convincingly childlike as well as fun. . . . a thoughtful project idea for kids.
—Booklist (starred review)

[A] delightful new picture book. . . . Readers will delight in the small, often humorous details of Heuer and Eaton's ingenious creation. A Book of Maps for You is the kind of story that will follow you wherever you go.
—BookPage (starred review)

Its welcoming tone 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.
—The Horn Book

Readers will enjoy poring over the detailed maps, discovering new surprises with each reading. . . .The wish to help the new occupants love their town as he does is heartwarming and effectively upbeat. For all collections, this lovely book will translate to lessons on a sense of place, love of community and, of course, mapmaking.
—School Library Journal

From the Publisher

★ 2024-12-28
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)

Kirkus Reviews