Bookpage calls A BOOK OF MAPS FOR YOU, illus. by Maxwell Eaton III, “the kind of story that will follow you wherever you go” in starred review

A Book of Maps for You [Starred]

By Maxwell Eaton, By Lourdes Heuer

Moving can be hard on kids, due to not only leaving a beloved house and town behind, but also becoming a newcomer faced with navigating a new home. This something the young, unnamed narrator of Lourdes Heuer's delightful new picture book, A Book of Maps for You (Neal Porter, $18.99, 9780823455706), knows firsthand. 

As the story opens, we see him hard at work in a mostly empty attic room, creating the special titular book for the house's next occupants. The text begins simply, "I made a book of maps." What follows is a colorful, annotated tour guide that highlights some of the young artist's favorite places, including the orange groves near Blossom Lane in spring and the house on the corner of Pip Street that goes all out on Halloween. Maxwell Eaton III's bright, cartoon-inspired art captures the people and events that comprise the home this mapmaker is leaving behind. The book is full of engaging elements that paint a picture of a vibrant, diverse community. We see kids playing in the park, meet mottled ducks named Doris and Duncan, and get a recommendation for the best cafeteria lunch at school. There's also a guide to the busy shops lining Main Street, which include a bookstore, a patisserie and Mrs. Chang's art supply store (clearly a special favorite).

There's a sweet poignancy to the story's final pages, as the maps move from the school and town to a depiction of the young artist's home. We return once again to the attic room of the first spread to glimpse what it was like before packing—art on the wall and a bed placed to get the best view of the stars. The book's final pages introduce us to the house's new resident, poring over this generous gift. 

Readers will delight in the small, often humorous details of Heuer and Eaton's ingenious creation. A Book of Maps for You is the kind of story that will follow you wherever you go.

-Deborah