← The Green

The Wandering Forge · ages 6-8

The Map With No Key

The idea: a map needs north, a start and a key.

Read it

One story, three ways: Sprout for a new reader, Grower in short chapters, Reader as a full chapter book. Same plot, same ending.

Who is in this book

Every recurring character has a short tune, so you can tell who is on stage before a word is said. The tunes play only when you tap, and the Reading Access sound switch turns them off.

The Honest Page

Which parts of this story are true, stretched or made up?

True

  • A map key (also called a legend) tells you what each mark on the map means. Source
  • Maps are usually drawn with north at the top. Turning a map so it matches the land is called orienting it. Source
  • The straight line crosses a lily pad; the seven-stone zig-zag reaches the far bank on stones only. Seven is two more than five.
  • From the real world: in orienteering, people race across fields and forests with only a map and a compass, and the first skill they learn is turning the map to match the land. Source

Stretched

  • In the book, Cardi finds north from the morning sun. What we simplified: The sun rises roughly in the east, not exactly, and the direction changes through the year. A compass is more exact.

Made up

  • Reedmere, its marsh and its talking map-makers are made up. Never cross real water on stepping stones without a grown-up.

Tell it back

Tell the story in your own words: who was there, what went wrong, and what they found out. Then a key-tag goes on your belt.

Ring the hammer for someone

Pick this book for someone younger. The link carries only the book, and it will wait for them on the Green.

Across the Table → For the grown-up: the story in three lines, one question to ask, and one thing to do together.