Awesome Atlases : Nonfiction Nuggets

Atlases provide the ultimate voyage of discovery for the armchair traveller. Accessible to everyone, owing to their highly visual nature, the atlases below are sure to have readers of all ages spending hours poring over them. Including information ranging from geopolitics to climate change, to different cultures, these atlases make an informative and enjoyable read.

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World Atlas

by Iva Sisperova (author), Oldrich Ruzicka (author), Tomas Tuma (illustrator)

Review: This wonderful interactive atlas is sure to intrigue and excite its readers. Featuring 7 giant fold-out maps (one for each continent) with beautiful hand-drawn colour illustrations, each one is full of images to explore. The illustrations depict famous landmarks and wildlife found in the region, as well as geographical features such as mountain ranges. Text boxes contain more detailed information about a particular aspect or fact linked to the continent. Additionally, small booklets around the map highlight a specific topic, such as animals, people and culture, and architecture and monuments. This atlas is a joy and will delight both younger and older readers.

Suggested Reading Age: 8 – 10 years. Younger children would also enjoy looking at these maps, although the booklets are a little fragile for young hands.

Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: A Map of My Own: Students create continent maps of their own, adding on different wildlife, landmarks, geographical features, etc. Challenge older students to draw the continent to scale (maths link). Extend this concept further by repeating the idea for individual countries.

Make It: Students create a 3D version of the continent or country they represented in the “Map of My Own” task (see above).

City Atlas: Travel the World With 30 City Maps

by Martin Haake (illustrator) and Georgia Cherry (author)

Review: A terrific introduction to some of the world’s cities, this beautifully illustrated, oversized book introduces children to 30 cities across the globe. Aspects of cultural or natural significance, from Mexico City to Moscow to Mumbai, are presented in the form of things to do. Readers are encouraged to “Walk to a waterfall in Parque Nacional de Tijuca” in Rio de Janeiro or “Take time out to take in the Imperial Palace and Gardens” in Tokyo, for example. A short paragraph introduces each city, also noting the country it is located in, language spoken, population and flag. A nice element for younger readers is the “Can you find” box, where they are asked to spot items synonymous with the city (for example, 5 red buses in London).

Suggested Reading Age: 7 – 10 years. Although older students would also enjoy dipping in to take a look at recommended sites.

Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tips: Cityscape: Students create a map of a city they have visited or of their home town. Encourage them to think of people and places that would be interesting for someone new to the area to visit.

Prisoners of Geography: Our World Explained In 12 Simple Maps

by Tim Marshall

Review: This young readers’ version of the best selling “Prisoners of Geography”, introduces geopolitics to children and teens in an engaging way. Presented with the aid of beautifully illustrated maps, readers explore how geography has impacted Russia, Latin America and the Middle East, for example. Explained in a clear concise manner, the book begins by answering the question “What does prisoners of geography mean?” Annotated comments throughout help readers to make connections between geography, landmarks and historical events. Ending by considering the future, this terrific book really gets its readers to think as they explore its pages. A fascinating read.

Suggested Reading Age: 8 years and up. Older teens may also be interested in reading excerpts from the adult version.

Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tips: Time to Reflect – Ask students to explore the geography of their own towns or home countries. Can they make any connections between this and how it has impacted the area’s development or people’s lives?

Maps

by Aleksandra Mizielinska and Daniel Mizielinsk

Review: Originally published in 2013, this updated, deluxe edition features 66 maps to explore and enjoy. Gorgeous hand-drawn maps feature illustrations of people, clothing, food, animals, sights and monuments, for example. Providing hours of entertainment, this large-sized book includes plenty of detail, sparks curiosity and leads to lots of wonderings. With almost 200 recognized countries in the world (the number differs depending on who you consult), the authors have plenty of scope to keep adding more! This is a terrific addition for geographers young and old.

Suggested Reading Age: 10 – 17 years. Younger readers would also enjoy looking at this, too.

Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tips: Missing maps: Students work individually or together to create maps for the countries that are missing. This project provides a perfect opportunity to develop a wide range of research skills including fact-checking, sourcing and citing images, etc.

Student World Atlas

by National Geographic Kids

Review: Packed full of information and statistics, this atlas is a wonderful reference tool for geography students and fact lovers alike. Beginning by putting Earth in the context of space, it then gives an overview of how to read maps, before delving into physical and human systems. Each continent is addressed in turn, with a focus on physical and political maps, climate and precipitation, population and predominant economies. Spotlights on a specific topic for each continent, such as protected areas in Africa, make an interesting addition. The inclusion of flags and statistics together with links to useful websites make this a well-rounded compendium.

Suggested Reading Age: 14 – 18 years

Nonfiction Nuggets Teaching Tip: Tandem Read: Read this in conjunction with Prisoners of Geography to provide further insights into the continents.