The Little Man In the Map: With Clues To Remember All 50 States

User Review: - A sure bet if you want to learn your U.S. geography
Some Canadians have an excellent understanding of the geography of the United States. Sadly, until recently I have not been amongst their numbers. That all changed for me after reading The Little Man In The Map. While it's true that this title was created to help school-aged children memorize all 50 states through the use of mnemonic stories, rhymes, and illustrations, I found it extremely helpful in remedying my own geographical weaknesses.

Here in Canada we're faced with learning only ten provinces and three territories, a simple feat in comparison with the tiny, irregular puzzle-pieced states that make up the staggering 50 states included in the union. After reading through The Little Man three or four times (my children insisted I read it out aloud, as they enjoyed it just for the illustrations and funny story), I went from knowing the names and corresponding locations of five to six states to being able to identify and name all 50 on a map. It might seem amazing, but the mnemonic strategies employed by the author/illustrator team of E. Andrew Martonyi and Ed Olson work together seamlessly to create a resource that is impossible for the memory to resist.

The Little Man opens with a class of school-aged children who are confronted with the task of memorizing all 50 states. While working over enormous puzzles they try to associate each state with a shape they can easily recognize. To their surprise they realize that the states of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas and Louisiana from North to South make the figure of a little man wearing a hat and boots, the man in the map - MinIow MisArkLou is his name, or MIM, an acronym for Man Inside the Map.

Upon wondering if this imaginary fellow might be able to help them identify the memory clues for each of the other states, he springs to life and guides the students on a journey across the U.S. map. Dividing the states into regions MIM provides clues that connect the states, explain their shapes, or simply tell a story to remember their names and locations. Each of the states contains a lively, full colour illustration within its boundaries that helps readers associate the state with the story and rhyme given.

Some regions are trickier than others, and will require some further review, but whenever facts start slipping it's easy enough to grab the book for a quick review. A complete map of the U.S. with the memory-tweaking illustrations is presented in the last few pages (also available as a wall map from Schoolside Press), followed by a map of the U.S. without illustrations to provide mastery of the newly gained geography skills.

I was somewhat hesitant to fully engage The Little Man due to the whimsical appearance of the cover illustration, complete with what could be construed as `pixie dust'. While MIM is an imaginative, fictional character, he is not a magical creation, nor an elf. Three elves do appear in illustrations of the states, and one strange face on a box (Montana and Wyoming) on a `magic block', but these are the only iffy references I could detect. For our family we decided that these inclusions were excusable due to the otherwise exemplary nature of the title.

Independently published by Schoolside Press, The Little Man has been garnering a wide variety of small and independent press awards as well as rave reviews. The results are undeniable, and a book for learning state capitals is currently in development. When can we look forward to a similar title for memorizing Canadian and world geography? I'll be first in line to pick up copies. Martonyi and Olson have hit upon a winning concept that I'll enthusiastically recommend to anyone, young or old, who struggles with identifying all 50 states.

---

User Review: - Video Preview of The Little Man in the Map
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R22B4LTTTTTXER

---

User Review: - Outstanding!
If only this book had been available 20 years ago when I first started homeschooling my 6 children! I am thankful it's available now so I can use it as curriculum for my last two homeschooled children.

When I first introduced it to my 11 and 13 year old daughters I told them I wanted them to give it a try and do one page a day. Later that night I went to check on them in their beds and found them under the covers with a flashlight! To my amazement they had their Man in The Map book and immediately started begging me to 'please' let them do more than one page a day! At the end of the school year I tested them to see what they had retained and they could rattle off the states and capitals without missing a beat! Now THAT is curriculum a homeschooling Mom can fall in love with! The knowledge they gained and retained will follow them throughout their life and be invaluable to them. This easy and fun to read book is colorful, accurate, and best of all it keeps the kids begging for more!



They jump out of bed in the morning excited about doing their schoolwork because this book makes it feel like fun and a special treat. Not only is it great for teaching geography but you can read it to a small child at bedtime just for fun. The 'Dr. Suess' like rhyming keeps them enthralled and entertained and makes a home in their memory. As a homeschooling Mom I look for the best curriculum I can find to enrich my children's education. As the President and Owner of a mid sized Publishing House I know what a quality book looks like and this one is exceptional. This is a book that will be handed down for generations in my family. There's nothing out there I can compare it to - but this is a book that people will try to imitate and compare books to for many years to come.

---

User Review: - Children Read and Learn: Book Does Both
Over the Christmas holiday season, my sister brought her two sons down from the mountains. I don't get to see them very much, so it was a great time to see how much they had grown, what they had learned, and just to hang out with my nephews. We opened gifts, ate pie, and played in the snow. My sister's older boy - James - is turning out to be a real smart, inquisitive kid. He is always asking questions, wanting to know how something works, or why things are the way they are.

On the night before Christmas, after a big dinner and lots of family talk, I took James upstairs to read to him before bed. One of the books that I read was The Little Man In the Map by E. Andrew Martonyi and beautifully illustrated by Ed Olson. Boy what a great time James and I had reading this book.


Starting off in the all too familiar school classroom, the kids in the book are given the task of learning all the states by name and memorizing their place. Stuck with the task, the kids soon begin to visualize the states as things they can remember - Louisiana is a boot, Minnesota looks like a hat, and so on. Magically, as the kids place these states in order, they come to see a man inside the map who comes alive and teaches the kids about the rest of the states.

Written in rhyme, the book creates images for every state that are fun to look at and learn. After reading the book to James, he didn't want to go to sleep. No, another reading was in order! The same thing happened the next two nights; James wanted me to read The Little Man In the Map to him. He loved the character MinIow MisArkLou (the man in the map) and would list off the states that made him up.

I talked to my sister - now back up in the mountains - after New Years. James now knows all 50 states by heart. He is very proud of this fact, especially since he is the only one in his grade that knows them all. Thanks to E. Andrew Martonyi's great imagination and Ed Olson's lively illustrations, my nephew James is now the geography whiz of his class.

This is one of those books that kids love to read over and over again - all the while learning something very important. Every kid should have the opportunity to learn geography and the states this way: its fun, its easy, and it works.

++++++++++++++++
Great New Books
http://newgreatbooks.blogspot.com

---

User Review: - The Little Man in the Map: With Clues to Remember All 50 States
This delightful book is an excellent addition to any classroom library. It is a fun way to help children learn the geography of the United States. My students truly enjoy reading, hearing, and viewing this rhyming book. Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, and Louisiana create the shape of "The Little Man in the Map". The beautiful illustrations add a whole new dimensions to this clever book. The author, Andrew Martonyi, kindly visited my school for as a part of our recent reading night. It was a memorable evening for all involved as we celebrated reading. I highly recommend The Little Man in the Map to everyone.

  Next page of reviews >