Maps and Mapping in Children's Literature

This groundbreaking work offers the first comprehensive analysis of how maps function within children's literature, examining everything from fantasy cartography to realistic city plans across diverse international traditions. Goga's study spans children's books from Canada to Russia, investigating how mapping techniques shape literary landscapes, seascapes, and urban environments across multiple genres. The comparative approach reveals how different cultural traditions employ cartographic elements to construct narrative spaces that young readers navigate. This scholarly examination demonstrates how maps serve as both visual and narrative devices that influence how children perceive and interact with fictional worlds.

What makes this study particularly valuable is its interdisciplinary approach, bridging literary analysis with cartographic theory to uncover how spatial representation affects storytelling. Educators and scholars of children's literature will find rich insights into how mapping conventions influence young readers' understanding of geography, identity, and narrative structure. The international scope provides fascinating contrasts between how different cultures visualize space in children's books, from Scandinavian landscapes to Italian cityscapes. This work fundamentally changes how we understand the relationship between cartography and childhood imagination, revealing the hidden power of maps in shaping young minds.