There's a Map on My Lap! All About Maps (The Cat in the Hat's Learning Library)

Fun way to introduce kids of kindergarten and up ages to the concept of maps... As with all Dr. Seuss books, there are clever rhymes, cute pictures, etc. - but also a nice way to help a child figure out how what he can see in front of him is actually just a tiny portion of the world...

This book was basically great, although some of the Dr. Seuss-style rhyming was just a tad confusing in the map-reading examples. I'd recommend adults read it over first, and if you are reading to--or with--kids who aren't familiar with the Seuss style, just skip over some of the names. Other kids may enjoy that part. Overall this is a great book on map reading. Parents may want to read it with their kids before going on a road trip, have them practice some map-reading skills at home (including a blueprint-style map of the rooms in their home), then try to find some very simple maps for the kids to read on the road, depending on their ages. This summer we organized some day camps to help young family members learn to read, which included numerous treasure hunts to practice reading skills. On the final day we read this book, then the big blowout treasure hunt led them to a hidden bag of puzzle pieces. When they put the puzzle together, it was a map of a couple rooms in our house, with red arrows pointing to the location of their next clue. The kids loved it (and they didn't mind the treasure chest full of little prizes after the final clue either)! I think it reinforced how much they could learn by reading books, and how they could put that knowledge to use. I haven't seen many kids' books that teach map reading, so this is a great addition to a child's library, especially if you help them follow up with some practice. We females tend to have brains that don't automatically process maps, so this may be especially helpful for young girls--if they're anything like me, anyway!

This is a long book but it covers alot that first graders need to learn to meet IDOE state standards for geography. It covers cardinal directions, maps and globes, how to find distances, and different types of maps. It is rhyming and has cute illustrations too. Allow extra time to read this book. I will use it over several days.

My son-in-law loves maps and they are about to have their first baby. So I thought this would be fun for daddy to read it to her and share his passion. He said their first map is going to be of their house - and he and they will draw and color it together. BIG daddy smile when he opened it.

When I was a kid, I learned about maps. My father taught me. Now, no one knows how to travel unless they use GPS. I still have maps because I love them. I purchased this book for my granddaughters (9 and 12), as I believe in having a foundation for everything in the world. Maps are a foundation. This book is very informative and helpful and should be read by anyone who is not familiar with maps and the lingo that goes with it. You never know when the basic skill of map reading will save your life.

We have the new learning Dr Seuss Books on horses, maps and anatomy. As a parent, grandparent, sibling or teacher; they are fun! to read aloud to children. They contain a surprising amount of informative content. Beginning Geography workbook Grades K-2 (also sold on Amazon) and this book combined make great teaching tools for 4-6 year old children. We recently did 3 activities from the geography book with a small group of home school children ages 4,5,6. The same night I was reading this book to daughter, and it happened to review the "compass rose", using "scale" to measure maps, and use of symbols on maps that we had studied during the day with the geography work sheets.

I love, love Dr. Seuss books. My 3 children and I have read them all. Even the ones you have never heard of. I appreciate the effort, but there is much lacking for it to be called a genuine Dr. Seuss book. The boys like it, but it is not one they pull off the shelf to read. They would rather "The Cat in the Hat", or "Green Eggs and Ham" (or any of the others). It has to be my idea to read this one. I do realize that it is a non-fiction book, but the rhythm & some of the rhymes just don't work. I think they could have done a little more to make it "sing-song". That's what makes a Seuss book!

I’m a geographer by profession so I bought a bunch of these for my grandchildren. It talks about maps in true Dr. Suess style