Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC of this book. 4/5 stars.

Technically, I've been reading this a few pages at a time for over a month now...I just didn't add it to my Goodreads...whoops. Anyways, I picked this up on NetGalley because it was a "Read Now" instead of a request...and I like maps. I loved the art style and the bite-sized digestible information. I do wonder how big the final book will be, because I struggled reading some of the font...even zoomed in on my iPad.

Overall though, this is a nice mix of interesting touristy places and historical places...and it also touches on some rougher parts of history.

Book Review: 50 Maps of the World by Ben Handicott, Kalya Ryan, Sol Linero (Visual Art)

Rating: 3 stars

"50 Maps of the World" is a delightful journey through various countries, offering young readers a glimpse into the diverse cultures and landscapes that shape our world. The book is an excellent resource for budding explorers and geography enthusiasts, providing quick-fire facts and deeper insights into each nation.

The book's presentation of natural wonders, bustling cities, and cultural icons is commendable, offering a rich tapestry of information for curious minds. However, the visual aspect of the book falls short, with small text that may be challenging for some readers. Additionally, the grouping of certain countries like Denmark, Sweden, Norway under "Scandinavia" and Australia & New Zealand together may leave readers wanting more detailed information on these regions.

Despite these shortcomings, "50 Maps of the World" serves as an engaging introduction to the world's diversity and is sure to spark the curiosity of young explorers. While some countries may not receive as much individual attention as others, the book provides a broad overview that can inspire further exploration and learning.

In conclusion, this book offers a valuable resource for children eager to learn about different countries and cultures worldwide. With its wealth of information and engaging content, "50 Maps of the World" is a worthwhile addition to any young adventurer's bookshelf.

⚠️This review was written based on personal opinions and experiences with the book. Individual preferences may vary⚠️

A beautifully illustrated book, covering 60 countries. I loved the mix of fact and history which made this book so compelling. There was lots to learn is small bite-sized snippets of information.

I think this is a book which is worthy of a place on anyone's shelf and is a book which children will revisit time and time again.

This is a lovely book full of interesting facts, people of note, moments to remember and more from 50 different countries around the world. Each page is jam packed with colourful illustrations showing locations of landmarks, key facts about the country and its capital.
The full page spread for each country makes it easy for children to access and learn with ease.

Beautiful illustrations.
I love maps and I loved how this one was done - colorful, informative and pretty - definitely nothing like what I read in school!
A nice way to introduce a young person to the world.

i love maps! who doesn't love maps! esp ones with fun facts and lots of colours. would recommend for every age

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for this book to review. The illustrations and information inside this book are incredible. Smaller tidbits that are easy to digest, and not get too overwhelmed by. Great for all ages. I would purchase a physical copy to have on my shelves.

My son and I absolutely loved this book. Such great detail on different countries with pictures and blurbs to include history, culture, and more. This is a must have!

I wanted to like this, and on a surface level it's a beautiful book with lots of kid-digestible info boxes

BUT, I'm incredibly uncomfy with the info that it either glosses over or just omits. Several other reviewers have noted the same, and most of the things glossed over are either highly charged political things or uncomfy history

So I'm afraid I can't really recommend this book, and if it were given to an imaginary child of mine, I'd be going through with post-it notes!

I received an advance copy for free from NetGalley, on the expectation that I would provide an honest review.

A visually interesting collection of world maps. It contains a wealth of information, sometimes too much. I liked all the wide variety of information but was mostly attracted to the small tidbits. The paragraphs were not needed.

I have always been fascinated with maps and learning about other countries and places in our world. This book was amazing. There are 50 maps of a variety of countries. The illustrations are so colorful. I loved that the text and information is so easy to understand and follow. Each country has a map, timeline of history, and information about the people and more. This book is so detailed that those who can’t travel the world will feel like they have while staying at home while snuggled with their book. We received this as an ARC but we will be buying it to add to our home shelf. It is perfect to share as a family and to discover our world. We even have a few favorites already; Egypt, Brazil, Australia and Ireland. This book is great to use in classrooms as well, the possibilities are endless. Enjoy your adventure.

If you have a child that loves to learn and explore other places, this is the book for them! Your fun fact loving elementary schooler will gain tons of knowledge through these amazing maps!

50 Maps of the World is an illustrated guide to a selection of countries around the globe, but this is not a book I would purchase for my family as I found it inaccurate, chaotic, and unclear. Each two-page spread features one country... or a few together, and this is where it gets muddled. The United Kingdom and Ireland are combined on one page, but their differences, including political lines, are not clearly demarcated. Scandinavia is lumped together as one entity. "Korea" is labeled as one entity (WTF!?). These visual and verbal inaccuracies aside, I think the pages are too cluttered to be useful. There are a lot of options for maps and atlases, and I will look elsewhere.

Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group – Wide Eyed Editions for gifting me with an ARC to review. All opinions are my own.

5/5 Stars!

Such a great recourse for fast facts on different countries around the world!

Love all the illustrations and fast facts. A lot of research clearly went into this book with the amount of detail presented about each country. There is a nice span of countries represented across the globe not only specific to any one specific continent or region. Very well done!

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Each map contains great information, including important historical dates, famous people, facts, and the country's symbols. It is well illustrated, making each page informed but not overly cluttered. It is a great overview of the world, even though it doesn't cover every country.

I enjoyed parts of this book. I really like Atlas style books and this one had some interesting information. There was a lot of detail with each map and I liked the illustration style. I was a little confused by some of the facts though. I only deeply know US history but looking at the US portion, I was a bit confused about what was included and then in contrast what wasn't seen. 1763 & 1775 just don't seem that relevant when you see that there is little about indigenous people listed. Nothing is mentioned about the stock market crash/Great Depression, WW2 or Pearl Harbor. Nothing about the civil rights movement. I understand that there is a lot of history to consider for a small section. Not everything can be included but it felt like major events that would pop up on the top events in American history weren't there and thus, it left me wondering how accurate that section was for the other countries.

Nice picture book that would be a good gift for the older child that is curious about maps and geography.
There is A LOT of information on each page, which is both good and bad. It allows for a more diverse image of each country than the stereotypical standard. However, it can also feel slightly overwhelming and might not be for more sensitive children that quickly get overstimulated.
Nice illustrations and I appreciate the intro where it was stated that countries are not static but fleible and everchanging - that they may come, change and be forgottten.

One major critique is that Norway, Denmark and Sweden are all lumped into one overarching category called "Scandinavia". I understand that the benefit of keeping the book relatively short and digestible for children outweighs giving each country their own page. However, when other countries were described on the same page (e.g. UK and Ireland) they were still represented with their indidivual names in the title. Simply using the title "Scandinavia" gives the impression that Denmark, Sweden and Norway are all the same country, since this is what the title represents on (almost) all other pages. That was dissapointing to see as I was of course looking forward to seeing, how my own country - Denmark - would be presented.
Another comment: I find it quite bold to lump North and South Korea into one page and title it simply "Korea". It sends a political message that the two countries are - at the core - on and the same. Which is highly problematic considering current tensions between the countries.

I appreciate that the introduction mentioned that the land people are standing on was there long before it became known as a country. I wished the introduction went a step further to mention that people were there too before it was a country and that part of making land a country was to assert power over it which would often be to the detriment of the people who were native to that land and there first. I understand it's a kid's book, but there are age appropriate ways to do this. It feels like they took a step in that direction but then decided to not follow through on the whole thought.

They seem to have a pretty good variety of countries across the world which is good to represent from several different continents and areas.

I have mixed feelings on the country page layouts. On one hand, I enjoy the amount of icons and information, but on the other hand it makes the page look chaotic and a bit visually overwhelming. I think it's a good approach but that it needs more balance.

Lots of good information and good ideas on approach, but I don't think some of those good ideas were followed through all the way.

We love an atlas. We love a thoroughly engaging atlas even more! This great new non-fiction release from Wide Eyed Editions is colourful, engaging and absolutely brimming with fabulous facts.

With a wealth of knowledge on every page, sections for each country include:
Welcome Box – a general introduction to the country pictured.
A timeline – summarising the history of the chosen nation
People of Note – five inspiring members of the population. eg India: Mahatma Ghandi led India to independence from British rule
Country Icons – eg Kenya: In the Great Rift Valley in Kenya, you can see the Earth’s crust moving!
Key facts – eg Greece: The National Flower of Greece is the Bears Breeches
Moments to Remember – eg UK: In 1928 women in the UK gained the same voting rights as men.
and a
Spotlights eg – The Queen of Sheba’s bath is in Ethiopia
- Indonesia is home to the world’s largest flower, Rafflesia arnoldii
- Barracuda Lake in the Philippines is warm in parts and cold in other


All of these gems and hundreds more can be found in this compendium which re imagines atlases for children and proves that the world of cartography is fun, engaging and exciting. Its rich and luxurious illustrations support the text perfectly and combined, they make the perfect introduction to the countries and the diverse tapestry of life within them for children age 7-10.

Thank you to Net Galley and Wide Eyed Editions for sending this eBook for review consideration. All opinions are our own.

Very cute illustrations and liked the facts and history of the included countries. Wish more countries were included! Will definitely get this for my kids to enjoy!