"This is a map of the library
past the school on Fern Lane.
Mr. Mercado is the librarian.
He never hushes or shushes,
and even if you ask him:
"Do you know that book with
the yellow and green cover?"
he'll answer, "Certainly,"
and he'll certainly choose right."
The detailed title page shows a child inside an attic room, lit by an overcast skylight. A cat lounges on a rolled-up carpet, and the only furniture in the room is a table placed in front of a window and a chair where the child is sitting. Clues to coming action?
It quickly becomes clear that the child, an artist at heart, has made a book of maps. Readers are not told who it is for. The following spreads provide perspective on the town being mapped. From a bird's eye view of the town itself, the artist moves on to map one street, a Little Farm, an elementary school, a library, a pirate's treasure map inspired by a storytime read with Mr. Mercado, the park next to the library, a maze with a duck pond at its center, past many small businesses on the way to Mrs. Chang's, a craft store that carries all supplies needed by a mapmaker.
Finally, a map of the child's home is shown from above ... both floors with careful descriptions of some of its special characteristics. The attic room is given life with new furniture, pictures on the wall, and a suggestion for what to look for through the skylight at night.
Only then does the reader discover that the house has been sold, and is awaiting a new family. The maps were drawn, and left behind to welcome them to their new home. What a kind gift it is! You will be reading this again.
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