I got requested for Our Wonderful World by Ben Handicott, which I really liked. After I search for other similar book and found this, but I thought these are different book even the cover looked similar... But no, this is the same book, so I just copy the text which I wrote for that book.

I need this book! This book contains a beautifully drawn map of 50 countries with a lot of added information like landmarks, famous people or facts.
The truth is that I didn't read everything in this book. I started to read every little fact but after 10 pages I realized that I am not interested in every fact. After that, I just checked quickly evert country, which are the spotlights and if I was interested in that country, I read the information. In my view, this book needs to be on a shelf, and if I am interested in a country or planning a visit, just read thought the information.
My favourite part was the maps with the landmarks. I want to visit everything which was highlighted in this book.
The facts weren't boring, but I wasn't interested to read them. I really loved the idea of a book, full of beautifully illustrated maps. I will definitely buy it after the release.

The sprawling, colourful illustrations filled with fun facts make my heart glad and I’ve been known to buy such books for myself even though they’re meant for children. I would have bought this one except for one unfortunate thing. Living in Malaysia, that was the first map I hunted for, and I’m sad to say I was disappointed. There’s a glaring error in the historical timeline (the alliance consisted of Malay, Chinese and Indian parties) and the information about the lady deputy prime minister is already out of date.

Thank you NetGalley and Wide Eyed Editions for the ARC. This is my honest opinion.

HUGE Help for homeschooling my son, and teaching him about the world. We have to do a huge eastern hemisphere theme this year and this book is a great resource.

Fifty Maps of the World is a beautifully illustrated book full of interesting facts! Unfortunately, the book is a bit too crowded with facts; found it difficult to read because of this. It would be so much more enjoyable if some of the information was removed to make it easier on the eyes. I also found the layout to be confusing in some areas. This book is still wonderful despite it's flaws. Children will love the colors and illustrations, and will most definitely learn something new!

*3.5 Stars*

Maps are political. Always. So we should start there. The things I didnt like about this were where I would’ve made different choices about who I showed, what facts I shared etc.

The format itself is awesome though and there is so much to appreciate about this. There are timelines, notable people, and facts places all over different locations. It’s a nice quick deep dive into a country. It’d be a fantastic resource for the classroom as long as it was explicitly (!!!) taught that maps are political and counter perspectives/ facts/ timelines were brought in depending on what country you zoomed in on. I would not have this be a sole resource but an excellent spring board.

The definition of country was really great at the beginning as well as the instructions for how to look for features of the book.

The range of countries is great (albeit of course there are a bunch left out since it only covers 50.. and a choice like doing Israel and then no Palestine is... a choice).

All in all I was super excited about this book, especially as I have seen firsthand how lacking geography instruction is for our kids in the US. This would be a great resource in a batch of resources.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review !

A fun illustrated educational atlas of 50+ countries in the world. Basic geography, facts, and history are included for each country. This would be perfect for elementary school aged children.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

The author starts by explaining what a country is and how the countries that we know change over the course of history as new ones are formed and old ones dissolve.  Having established this baseline, next comes the sense of what will be found in each colorful map spread.  There will be history, people of note, key facts, bodies of water, historical sites, capital cities and more.  Truly an adventure is being offered to young and inquisitive explorers in these fifty maps which include countries throughout the world, starting with France and other European countries and then traveling the continents.


I would have adored this book as a child.  I also enjoy it now that I am an adult.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

The book was Fantabulous!! The content and graphics and presentation was eye-popping! My 10 year old granddaughter happened to be visiting and she was sitting with me & I got her input on your book! She was enthralled and so enthusiastic that she was so disappointed when I told her that the book was unavailable until September!! She said well can’t you download your copy to my moms iPad! I told her that it was protected and she said but Grandma I need it to look up all these countries on the airplane! They live in Pennsylvania where I live in Texas!! The book truly is stunning and I learned quite a few new facts about some countries that I didn’t know!! I am definitely going to be purchasing this book for my granddaughter when it is available because she was bewitched by all the staggering amount of information, but it was how it was showcased that caught her interest! Plus the type of material & statistics that were featured is what garnered my attention! The book was presented in a fun, lively, easygoing way so that children and adults would both enjoy!!!

Not your ordinary map, this book catches the eye with its colourful illustrations and information and fun facts for everyone. The world, countries and people have changed and shifted over time. This will give you quick references and key facts to inform and spark questions and conversation for minds young and old.

High marks for the concept, not so much for execution.

Pros:
-Loved the overall colorful approach and aesthetic
-LOTS of information, including facts I didn't even know
-Countries from all around the world

Cons:
-Odd choice of what to include or not at times
-Honestly, TOO much information/too busy
-Skewed angles and perspectives.

If I had a child who was gifted this book, I'd let them enjoy it - the flaws aren't so glaring as to not be a useful read. However, I wouldn't go out of my way to purchase it unfortunately.

I have a thing for atlases. Since I was a kid, I could spend hours at a time, poring over a good atlas, I find them fascinating.

The reason I'm not giving this one 5 stars is because, I find it too 'busy'. There is A LOT to look at on each page and it may actually be a little too engaging, to the point it becomes a bit overwhelming. I have to say, I'm really not a big fan of all the bits of text and portraits covering the entire shape of the country/countries.. The map/country gets lost in the overload of information.

Looking forward to adding this book to my collection of map books. Each map is illustrated beautifully illustrated and annotated with some key facts and information. Some key human and physical features are included in the annotations alongside some key historical facts. This book will be a brilliant addition to any primary school library or book corner. The facts surrounding each country are interesting and give an insight into the similarities and differences between the different countries. A world map or continental map would have been nice to include because they would give a wider context to each place. Even so, this is a stunning book of maps and I can see many children enjoying it!

50 Maps of the World is an atlas of countries of the world presented with lots of trivia and timelines and highlights for each country represented. Due out 1st Sept 2020 from Quarto on their Wide Eyed Editions imprint, it's 112 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

This is a fun, information dense, graphically appealing (but very busy) atlas. Each of the maps shows an outline map of the country (or countries - Scandinavia is taken together, for example) in question, noteworthy cities, landmarks, cultural tidbits, and a timeline in a highlighted text box. There's another highlighted text box for each entry with key facts such as Capitals, languages, currency, two letter country codes, national birds and flowers, and populations. There are small cameo insets with notable figures from each country's history. The countries themselves are arranged geographically by continent, starting with Europe and ending with the Antipodes.

The authors have included a hunt & find activity search at the end of the book as well as a comprehensive index and an abbreviated glossary.

There's a lot to like here. I would recommend it for classroom/library use and it would also make a nice selection for home library or homeschool use. I'm not sure how long it'll remain current (as the author's state in their introduction, countries change continually), but it's a nice kid's atlas with appealing art. I was impressed that the authors managed to cover the 1994 Rwandan genocide in an age-appropriate manner.

Four stars.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Very pretty book. Tempted to buy it for my 6-year-old. Hope he gets to travel the world someday. Thanks for giving me a chance to read — will recommend for sure.

Experienced explorers / authors, Ben Handicott and Kalya Ryan, alongside popular illustrator, Sol Linero, have created a book of wonder to delight readers time and time again! The book is like a rocking chair visit to 50 countries around the world. Join a fascinating journey to learn key facts and moments in history, meet important people, and check out culture, food, geography, plants and animals popular in different countries around the world. Readers will explore land structures, waterways, museums, plus more!

In the back of the book is a Search and Find pictorial scavenger hunt to retrace one's journey through the book. There is also a glossary of important words and a comprehensive index. Children can learn to use an index for retrieving interesting information about the world. Do you know what country features the Caves of Heaven and Hell? What is pho and where is the Dwingelrots? The index will help you find out!

With a fabulous overview of each country, readers may use this book as a steppingstone to learn more through other books, magazines, and websites. And someday, readers may want to travel to some of these countries – a spark of interest first begun through this book! Let’s get going …. Can you find the image of a pink beach and find out where is the Pink Beach? And where is the Painted Village of Zalipie?

Thank you Wide Eyed Editions for allowing me an early reading of a delightful book sure to please readers of all ages. Thank you NetGalley for providing an easy platform to access this digital review copy. (Review has been posted on GoodReads.)

"I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."
This is a nice geographical resource, with information about each country of focus. This would be a good add on to a geography study. I really liked all the facts included, and it would add richness and depth to your studies.
However, as a book of maps there is one negative: each country is zoomed in on to fill the page so for example Mexico and Cuba appear roughly the same size. There is a reference world map with the country colored in to give some perspective, but it just seemed overly disproportionate.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an electronic copy to read and review.

This book will be fantastic in print! Electronically, it was difficult to fully read on my tablet.

Each page has a map of a region/country and little facts and information about that area. I love the little tidbits of info, and know that many kids will like to look and read through this book. I am looking forward to getting a copy for my classroom. It is a great way to get kids reading, especially when they have a keen interest in the world, but maybe not so keen interest in fiction or chapter books.


The search and find page, as well as the glossary at the end will also be so engaging for kiddos!

This trivia-packed book can certainly introduce us to a world of detail, but can also frustrate more than a little. We get a full double-page spread for pretty much every country in Europe to begin with, where the slightly stylised and not scientifically accurate charts are packed with little cartoon detail illustrations of all the more pertinent and famous features, all of which get a quick caption. Not only that, we have similar thumbnail sketches of a few famous people related to each country. Not only that, we have a table where we learn the national slogan, flower, capital, currency, and so much more. Not only that we have a pocket timeline for the place each time as well – if this book was designed to be stuffed with busy detail to keep us browsing, then it's a rip-roaring success.

But I did raise my eyebrows a bit here and there. I loved the trivia about Sarah Bernhardt's leg (kudos, as usual, to a kids' book that can still teach me what I didn't know), but did wonder if she was really one of the four most vital people to come from France (all of Greece to choose from, similarly, and one is a footballer – Eureka!). And as good as it is, did we really need to be told when gay marriage became legal in certain countries' timelines? This book clearly doesn't want to be a solid reference book of up-to-date fact for long, for it should drop the social engineering and aim for enough longevity to make such trivia irrelevant.

Still, a raised eyebrow is nothing to the response to Germany's page, with the selection of highlights they've chosen risible in the extreme, and the artwork, that never tries to match the real thing. Spain fares little better, with the location of the arrow-less captions not giving a clue to where one huge building of note is, and implying Ibiza is on the mainland. We can all love the Icelandic slogan being "It will all work out okay" – but not with the Blue Lagoon at the wrong end of the country it won't.

Oh, and then we get to the end, and find it was all a whole Where's Waldo exercise, and there's a host of things we should have spotted while going along. So yes, this is perfectly balanced to cover all the world, but still manages to be selective (with as much coverage to the Antipodes as to the Baltic States), and too easy with the stereotypes. There's enough here to keep the busy browser quiet for a month of Sundays, but this really did need a second pass to make it worthwhile recommending. As it is, it gets a pass from me to be getting on with. A disappointing one and a half stars.

This book is brilliant. It looks at 50 countries around the world, once to a page. The illustrations are beautiful but what makes this book different is that there’s a nice little timeline for each country with annotated landmarks and well known people. Perfect for sparking a children’s interest and as a point for further study.
I’d highly recommend this book and will be ordering copies.