atlas of miniature adventures
Reviewed By Grasshopper2 November 13, 2016
Author Emily Hawkins, illustrated by Lucy Letherland
Distributor: Murdoch Books
ISBN: 9781847809094
Publisher: Quarto UK
Release Date: November 2016
Website: http:/www.murdochbooks.com.au
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It is always interesting to see a children’s book that attempts to introduce different parts of the world to readers. This quarto sized, hard backed book, is probably not the right size to convey much sense of the world, however, the topic is miniatures, and for those children who enjoy pouring over detailed work this could be of interest.
The cartoon characters of a boy and girl move around the world to explore miniature models, animals and butterflies. We move from a stylized map of Europe, to a double paged spread of a model village in Bekonscot. There are more than 200 buildings, and 1,000 animals. Unfortunately the print explaining this is very small. There are other smaller entries again, and a use of a magnifying glass both to look at the village and to read the text would help.
The next place we see is in Holland, at a place called Madurodam. The buildings are authentic reproductions, and you can visit tulip fields, a cheese market, and canal -side houses. And so we move onto an underground mini golf course in Berlin, a miniature museum in New York, and a display of snow globes. We continue to move around the world to examine miniature wonders. The rough sketches give little idea of place and space, so using an atlas in conjunction with this book would be a great addition.
As we continue to travel around the world, we find miniature butterflies, and fish, and frogs. For that special child who loves to pour over a book with a magnifying glass, there are clues at the back to find in the previous pages.
However, reading the text is a challenge, as often the small black font is printed on a brown or dark background. The potential to add a strong educational component to this book has been overlooked, which is a shame. However those children with an eye for detail will enjoy the concept.