cover image Puzzle Maps U. S. A.

Puzzle Maps U. S. A.

Nancy L. Clouse. Henry Holt & Company, $15.95 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-8050-1143-2

Clouse has some colorful fun with a map of the U.S., and encourages children to do the same. First she reveals a double-page spread of the map, with each state labeled. On the next page, each state is a different color, the names have been omitted and the map has become a large puzzle that can be taken apart visually and put back together. With the shapes of the states as pieces, a variety of ``picture puzzles'' follows, each depicting persons or objects that include a wagon, a turtle, a man walking a dog, a carousel horse and a clown. Under each composite picture, the names of the states that comprise the image are printed upside-down, while at the end of the book a more detailed ``puzzle key'' shows readers--in line drawings--which state was used to make each part of the picture. Clouse succeeds in enlivening a potentially dull subject in this unusual book. Ages 7-11. (May)