Geography: Grade K - 12
Uncle Josh's Outline Maps
Author: George and Hanna Wiggers
Publisher: Geography Matters
For more information or to order: www.geomatters.com

It seems that the need for a blank outline map presents itself at the most inopportune times - like the night before I'm ready to teach something in History and realize I could really use a map for the kids to better visualize the topic being covered!  Thankfully, the father and daughter team of George and Hanna Wiggers has come to the rescue with Uncle Josh's Outline Map Book.  With over 100 clear, reproducible outline maps to choose from, you're sure to find one to go with whatever you are studying!  Speaking of "whatever you are studying" - under the benign title of "General Instructions" at the beginning of the book, the authors have given us a treasure - great suggestions for using outline maps.  There are two pages of suggestions for mapping activities for History, Literature, Science, and (of course!)  Geography, as well as a few mapping hints for students and teachers. We were provided with the bound version of Uncle Josh's Outline Map Book for this review; there is also a CD version, which makes it easy to print whatever map(s) you need without having to go to the store to make copies.

Uncle Josh's Outline Map Book is organized alphabetically with some maps featuring individual countries or states, while others feature regions, historical (Ancient Egypt and Ancient Greece), or continents.  There is also two world maps, one with country outlines and one without.  The same is done for the U.S. map, as well as several other continents.  Having no country borders is particularly helpful when you want to study an area before there were these political boundaries.  All of the maps are listed, by title, in the table of contents.  Although there is not a separate map for each country, you will often find several countries on one regional map.  The authors promise that "…every nook and cranny of the earth is on at least one of the maps in this book!"  Uncle's Josh's Outline Map Book does feature a map of each state AND regional maps of the U.S.

From kindergarten through high school graduation, Uncle Josh's Outline Map Book is a handy resource that you will refer to again and again!

Making the grade: A
Cost: $19.95 (book), $26.95 (CD)
Value for your homeschool dollar: 10
Reviewed by Cindy Prechtel, Editor