The Ultimate Gift for Global Youngsters

Call me old-fashioned, but when it comes to maps I believe that nothing beats the real deal, printed on paper, made to be bent over, eyes wide, fingers tracing exotic names and the route to far away lands. Sure, young travelers are growing up in a world neatly mapped by GPS, but that's no reason to deprive them of the magic of an atlas.

When I recently stumbled across a newly released book of gorgeous, inventive maps, it struck me that a book of maps makes a truly magical - and truly important - gift for globally minded kids. This one, entitled A Map of the World: The World According to Illustrators and Storytellers, features page after beautiful page of maps created by contemporary illustrators and and mapmakers; going beyond navigation, they map out the history, culture, and feel of regions around the world.