Barefoot Books World Atlas Review
I choose to review the Barefoot Book World Atlas today because it is a great example of a book that can only be appreciated by sharing it in print format. (See the Barefoot Librarian blog post from March 2017. The Barefoot Book World Atlas is a striking, large format hardback. It contains double–page maps and flaps to open and lift to reveal interesting bits of information.
The Barefoot Book World Atlas looks at the world in a unique way. The book is divided into 20 sections. The first two are “The Story of Our Planet” and “Mapping the World”. Then, there is a double-page section/map for each ocean. For each ocean, information about its Physical Features, Climate and Weather, Natural Resources, Environment, Marine Life and Transport is provided. Each ocean has a “Did you know?” flap to lift with interesting facts. For instance, a quirky fact about the Indian Ocean: “To raise awareness of the threat to low-lying by rising sea levels, the president of the Maldives held the first underwater government meeting in 2009.”
The remaining sections depict the world through a different approach. For example, Asia is divided into the following regions: Southeast Asia, East Asia, North and Central Asia, South Asia, and Southwest Asia. Each section provides the following information about each region: Physical Features, People and Places, Climate and Weather, Land Use and Natural Resources, Environment, Wildlife and Transport. Each region also has a “Did you know?” flap to lift with interesting facts. For instance, a quirky fact about Southeast Asia: “The orangutan is found only in the rainforests of Borneo and Sumatra. Its name means “man of the forest.”
[perfectpullquote align=”right” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Because there is so much information available about the oceans and regions of the world that cannot be provided in the limits of a book, Barefoot Books has created an app, which is much richer in detailed content. The app also can supply more up-to-date information as the world is changing.[/perfectpullquote]
The end of the book includes a glossary, sources and an index of countries and capitals. A nice bonus is the inclusion of a large, colorful map of the world that can be displayed on a wall.
EDUCATOR’S Tips, Correlations, Connections, Resources
IB Themes/Units of Inquiry: Who We Are: Culture; How the World Works: Weather, Physical World – Water; Who We Are in place and time: Geography and geographic characteristics; Animals
Geography: Mapping
*Barefoot Books World Atlas
Author: Nick Crane
Illustrator: David Dean
Publisher: Barefoot Books
Publication Date: 2011
*Price: 19.95
Ages: 4 up
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