Martha Maps it out in Time
For ages 4+
A trip to the beach leads Martha on an AMAZING infographic journey through time!
By Leigh Hodgkinson (Oxford University Press, 2024)
Maps?? Oh my gosh, YES!! Mind maps?? Even more delicious!! Labelled illustrations everywhere, Martha is back!!
Martha is a dream for a very curious mind, a child who loves to pour over a book, or a child who is fascinated by discovering, + linking information together with lots of A-HA! moments. I loved the first book ‘Martha Maps it Out’ (OUP, 2022), and Leigh is back with another brain-satisfying ice-cream sundae of a picture book with all the toppings.
Taking the concept of ‘time’ in this new story, Martha is taking readers on a journey back into the past, from near history, to the Ice Age, Jurassic, Triassic, Paleozoic, + more, right to before the Big Bang, to Nothing, then she fast forwards to the future, post global warming. Every double spread has dots + pathways to join, whether it’s Mary the ammonite fossil (named after Mary Anning) that Martha discovers on the beach, which she discovers alive + well in the Triassic period, or to notice more subtle changes like the rules around leaving dog poo lying around, or connecting headphones with wires to listen to music on a non-phone device, or even more importantly how diverse + inclusive the community is now compared to 5 years ago (differences include a child in a wheelchair now able to access the beach, + a Muslim family in hijabs, or taking photos with cameras, not phones) - I really loved this comparison, as it’s also a nod to how Children’s publishing has become so much more inclusive these last few years. Thank goodness!!
Leigh’s creativeness is jaw-dropping - when you go from page to page as an adult, + take a moment to appreciate the incredible amount of work, skill + imagination that went into creating this sequel, it’s amazing. I did pop onto her website to find out more about her, + not only is she co-creator of the Olobob Top series on CBeebies, + so much more in both TV and publishing, but she is also ADHD + says: “I am always busy drawing/writing/making/designing/baking. I LOVE creating things and get really grumpy if I don’t get to do it.”
Children + their adults who may have ADHD, or teachers who have ADHD children in their classrooms, will love to know this about Leigh. This busy lady has more picture books out this year across various publishers, + although I will look forward to them, I must say I hope there’ll be another story with the ever inquisitive + fascinated Martha + her sidekick Space Monkey.
I’m delighted to say it’s a favourite with customers in my Happy Reading Children’s Bookshop in Broadstairs.
Excerpt from the book
Words + Illustrations © Leigh Hodgkinson
Ad - review copy provided by the publisher
