Geography

B.G. Hennessy’s Once Upon a Time Map Book (Candlewick, 2010), gorgeously illustrated by Peter Joyce, is a collection of six detailed maps of fairytale kingdoms, among them Neverland, Oz, Wonderland, and the Giant’s kingdom on top of Jack’s beanstalk. For ages 4 and up.

For many more resources, see Fairy Tales.

See these images of the 10 Best Maps in Fantasy Books. (Make some of your own!)

In Ruth Stiles Gannett’s short chapter book My Father’s Dragon (Dover, 2014), Elmer Elevator – with a backpack filled with everything from lollipops to rubber bands – sets out to rescue a baby dragon on Wild Island. The book includes a wonderful picture map of Tangerina and Wild Island. For ages 5-9.

In N.E. Bode’s The Slippery Map (HarperCollins, 2007), MTDs – Mysterious Temporary Disappearances – of kids are on the rise. Ten-year-old Oyster R. Motel (raised by nuns after being left on the convent steps as an infant, wrapped in a towel from the Royal Motel) discovers the secret when he encounters a mysterious mapkeeper who stocks maps of “Imagined Other Worlds.” For ages 8-12.

In Sandra Lawrence’s The Atlas of Monsters (Running Press Kids, 2019), a collection of old maps, made by an intrepid 15^th-century explorer, purports to show the locations of all the world’s mythical creatures. Gorgeous illustrations, a continent-by-continent guide to magical creatures, and a mysterious code to crack combine to make this a great read for ages 7-12.

By S.S. Taylor, in The Expeditioners and the Treasure of Drowned Man’s Canyon (Harlow Brook Books, 2019) – the first of a series – the premise is that there are many undiscovered places in the world. Kit’s father, a famed Explorer of the Realm, is missing, so Kit and siblings Zander and M.K. set off to find him, following the clues on a mysterious half of a map. A terrific steampunk-ish adventure (with maps) for ages 8-12.

By Carrie Ryan and John Parke Davis, in The Map to Everywhere (Little, Brown, 2015), 12-year-old Fin, an orphan, is a Master Thief, with a strange magical trait – no one can remember that he exists. Then he meets Marrill from Arizona, who has stumbled into his world via the Pirate Stream, the magical waterway that connects every world in creation. Together these two end up in a race to find all the pieces of the Map to Everywhere, scattered across many worlds – but they’re not the only one who want the map. The first of an exciting series for ages 8-12.

By A.L. Tait, The Mapmaker Chronicles (Kane Miller Books/EDC Publishing, 2018) is a middle-grade fantasy series about a race to map the world. Fourteen-year-old Quinn has always been content at home on the farm until he’s found to have a special talent for mapmaking – which lands him on board a ship in the midst of an adventure that involves sword fights, monsters, and stowaways. Titles include Race to the End of the World, Prisoner of the Black Hawk, Breath of the Dragon, and Beyond the Edge of the World. For ages 9-12.

“I solemnly swear that I am up to no good.” For Potter fans, check out the Marauder’s Map, a guide to Hogwarts, courtesy of James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.

Dungeons and Dragons, a fantasy role-playing game introduced in 1974 and now published by Wizards of the Coast, not only involves wizards, warriors, elves, dwarves, clerics, and a lot of polyhedral dice, but great maps. We started playing this when our kids were of early-elementary-school age and they loved it – it had lots of scope for the imagination, plus all the fun features of a cooperative choose-your-own-adventure book. A good starting point is the Dungeons & Dragons Starter Set. Generally recommended for ages 12 and up, but it’s easy to come up with simplified approaches. When we started playing, our youngest son was five.

See Maps & Map Tools for D&D.

In Minecraft, a creative and ever-popular series of video games, players explore blocky 3-D worlds and build any number of structures. There are also zombies, lava, snow, and wolves. And maps! Generally recommended for ages 10 and up.

By Eirlys Hunter, in The Mapmakers’ Race (Gecko Press, 2018) the Santander family is planning to restore the family fortunes by winning the Great Mapmakers Race, a competition to map the best route for a new railway line. Their father, an explorer, is missing, however, and their mother is left behind at a train station – which leaves Sal, Francie, Joe, and Humphrey to compete in the race by themselves. A great adventure with a little bit of magic for ages 8-12.

In Ticket to Ride, played on a map of the United States, players compete to connect prominent North American cities and build the best train routes. The board is a map. For 2-5 players, ages 8 and up.