As the Roadrunner Runs: A First Book of Maps

In a simple introduction to the world of maps, youngsters follow the paths of familiar animals past distinctive landmarks that follow each creature's journey, in the sequel to As the Crow Flies.

PreSchool-Grade 2?As the Roadrunner Runs comes to a dead end as its simple concept wends its way to obscurity. The episodic narrative follows a lizard, a jackrabbit, a road runner, a deer, and a mule as each creature roams the Southwestern landscape and a full-page drawing charts its course. The deer meanders so much it's hard to tell how she got from the trees to the stream. The wind ties it all together by blowing here and there touching on some of the previously introduced points of reference to offer the big picture, adding poetical essence but no substance to the presentation. This mildly mystifying book has perky, colorful illustrations with smiling critters and may be of potential regional appeal, but it it hardly an essential purchase.?Jody McCoy, Casady School, Oklahoma City
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Ages 3-6. This southwestern companion to As the Crow Flies (1991) introduces the concept of mapping from the points of view of a lizard, a jackrabbit, a roadrunner, a mule, and a deer. Each animal explains the geographic features it encounters while traveling through its habitat range. A simple map, portraying the animal's world, appears at the end of each section. In the final chapter, the wind sweeps back through the smaller locales, and a large map shows the entire region, linking the parts to the whole. Attractive, full-color illustrations appear on every page, allowing young readers to grasp the connection between snapshots of individual sites and their corresponding graphic representations. Directionality and scale are not addressed, but they are portrayed fairly accurately. An excellent addition to primary map units, this will also find a niche in story hours. Kay Weisman