Such is my conundrum with Maps. Sometimes words don't cut it, but I'll try.
This is a big book. A big, beautiful, impressive book. There are a lot of pages, too, and each and every page has been crammed to bursting with countries. And cities. And towns. And villages.
There are also kids. And adults. And people in local costumes. Flora, fauna, food, sites, sights, monuments, buildings, rivers, lakes, mountains, sportspeople. Even the oceans are stuffed withe whales and dolphins and fish and crustraceans.
There are flags and languages and local script and clothing and shoes and hats and carpets, berries, strange idiosyncrasies and all manner of mind-altering delight.
This is a book that will take you on a world tour extraordinaire. You will smell the spices, feel the ice against the souls of your boots and the desert sand between your toes. You will feel the author/illustrators' heat and passion for travel and the adoration of customs so diverse, the intensity of the contrast is nothing short of spectacular.
It probably took me about 20 or 30 minutes to drink in each double-page-spread of this book--and there are around 45 of them--such was the sheer fascination and enjoyment.
The pages are large and utterly overwhelming, so pace yourself if need be, but know you will be completely drawn in to this incredibly detailed tome of rich cultural delight.
This image of the Arctic, below, is completely bare compared to the inhabited countries, so you can only imagine what the book's pages have in store.
A must-own for travellers, schools, libraries, 4-year-olds, 93-year-olds, polar bears and anyone who can breathe.
Title: Maps
Author/Illustrators: Aleksandra Mizielinska + Daniel Mizielinski
Publisher: The Five Mile Press, $39.95 RRP
Publication Date: 1 October 2014
Format: Hard cover, large
ISBN: 9781848773011
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book, Non-Fiction
