Book Review: Hermes and the Magic Map

Reviewed by Toni Woodruff

A sparkling adventure celebrating the boundless possibilities of imagination

For all we know, Hermes is a regular kid. He lives with his granny, prefers to skip the peas with his pasta, and likes to escape through the drawings and paintings in his room. He’s an artistic kid with an imagination able to place sailboats in his backyard and spice up the scenes of what he knows with purple grass and cotton candy clouds.

But his art is no ordinary art. At least today it’s not. After Hermes shows his work to his granny, she shows him what’s happened outside: his paintings have come to life. Their home is on the sea, the sky is brushed with cotton candy clouds, the grass is in fact purple, a sailboat awaits him, and far off in the distance, a mountain sits on an island with a great big red X in the center of it. 

With this newfound magical artistic ability, he draws his friend Star and soon she appears. Together, they venture to the island—which they are calling Treasure Island—and race toward the X. They know that treasure is the bright golden light coming from the back of the cave. But will it be as easy as bringing the treasure home, or will someone be there to stop them?

Hermes and the Magic Map is one of those books that kids will love getting lost in. It’s that rare combination of adventure storytelling mixed with subtle yet clear inspiration. In this case, it inspires kids to create art, follow their imaginations, and get outside and explore. Any book that gets my kid excited to make up stories and take outside adventures is a great one in my eyes.

In addition to having a great lesson, it’s also a treasure to look at. The golds in the caves and on our little protagonists’ shoes shine on a backdrop of soft, smoky pastel colors streaking across the sky and land. Even the characters are given a surreal, blotty focus that imitates movement and wind. Sometimes, the characters (namely Star) looks different from page to page, but this doesn’t cause much of anything other than a small distraction.

No story is all sunshine and rainbows, even in kids’ picture books. Obstacles stand in the way, and characters have to learn the error of their ways. But one thing that always trips me up is when characters exemplify behavior that I don’t want my very little kid exhibiting, like spilling peas on the ground you don’t want to eat or, as in the case of the antagonist bully, calling other kids losers. If you’ve got a very little one and would rather not give them these ideas, you might want to get creative with rephrasing a few of these words. 

Hermes and the Magic Map is an ode to art & imagination in a package that neatly exudes that love. It’s a treasure to look at and features kids unafraid to take adventures and bring back the gold. This book would be a great choice for those looking to inspire a love of creativity and art in their little ones.

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