Farrar, Straus, Giroux, New York, 2008.
Hardcover edition, 32 pages, ISBN 978-0374334994.
After losing everything they own to the devastation of war, the narrator's family travels to a far land. One night, Father uses all the money they have to purchase a map of the world rather than buying a few crusts of bread. At first, the boy cannot forgive him, but the map fills their small room with interest and color. Little by little the boy becomes entranced with the names and exotic places, transporting himself to strange jungles and huge cities. The map ultimately provides an escape, immersion in faraway places which enable him to forget the hunger and misery around him.
In a compelling author's note, Uri Shulevitz details the story's autobiographical elements of his experiences as a Polish war refugee. His watercolor washes deftly communicate the bleakness of refugee life contrasted with the opulence of imagination. The heaviness of the backstory may not be appropriate for younger readers. Recommended for age 4 and up.
Activity: Have children imagine what it is like to live in different places, and read stories using a world map to show where they are set. Do map coloring or related craft.
How I Learned Geography is a 2009 Caldecott Honor Book.
