I guess this is my old man rant…kids these days lack
something previous generations had in abundance, imagination. Even the most popular toys are ones linked to some kind of cartoon, movie or video game. I am a fan of encouraging a child’s imagination. Whether it is an imaginary friend, a living room floor that is made of lava or just imagining you are living on a distant planet, children need an imagination. That is why books like An Atlas of Imaginary Places are so important for encouraging young minds.
One of the things that could help with fostering an imagination is a good book. Sadly, children these days do not read enough but that is another rant for another time. Books are a portal to the imagination for both young and old.
The book, An Atlas of Imaginary Places written by Mia Cassany with illustrations by Ana de Lima is a great way to spark your child’s imagination. An Atlas of Imaginary Places doesn’t focus on existing places but on places that existed in the author’s imagination. These places include a city on the back of a giant whale, a volcano that spews different flavors of bubble gum and a forest where sea creatures live in trees. I don’t even what to think about an octopus falling on me from above.
An Atlas of Imaginary Places is filled with colorful, surreal images that capture the whimsy of the text. Each drawing in the book goes across two pages and each picture is filled with detail. You can almost make a game out of finding the fishes in the forest or looking for creatures in the jungle.
An Atlas of Imaginary Places is printed on heavy duty paper so it will stand up to multiple readings. Retailing for $19.95 this larger book measures 9.4×0.4×12.9 inches and is 40 pages long. Suggested target audience for the atlas is ages 4-8. An Atlas of Imaginary Places is published by Prestel Publishing and is available wherever fine books are found.
