I See Me’s new book My U.S.A Road Trip provides children with a fresh and interesting approach to the study of geography. Given students’ gaps in their geography education, what they urgently need is a resource that would boost their performance and improve test results. The book responds to this need, providing young learners not only with a resource but also with a clear roadmap of the learning process. Under its guidance, students can begin their foray into geography.

An exclusive focus on Common Core standards has deflected students’ attention away from geography. According to PR Newswire, “Schools spend less time on geography education because of their heavy emphasis on testing and Common Core standards for reading, math, and science.” Because schools focus heavily on math and science, students have major gaps in important subjects such as geography. Consequently, geography as a subject gets neglected in schools, and students do not build the skills they need to pass the Common Core exam in geography successfully.

Educators should encourage students to realize that what they are studying in their geography classes is real. In particular, teachers must help them understand that they are not just looking at an image or model of the globe. The skills they are building in geography are so important to them precisely because they will need to apply them in the real world. In order to orient themselves both locally and globally, students will have to know geography very well. According to PR Newswire, “In [My U.S.A Road Trip], the child receives a personalized driver’s license, hops into a magical car, and learns state names and key monuments during the journey across America.” The book offers a fresh approach that would motivate students to make clear connections between the countries they see on a map and their real-world locations. If they are able to identify the location of states they visited, they would already begin to orient themselves globally. This book presents young students with a powerful and entertaining introduction to their first exploration of geography.

The book may prove useful to students also because it motivates them to actually learn the subject. Since U.S. education in geography does not prepare them to pass the Common Core examination sufficiently well, children need books that would help them make progress quickly. We learn from PR Newswire that “[d]espite increasing globalization, U.S. children continue to fail at geography” — all the more reason why students need to have access to books such as My U.S.A Road Trip.

In addition, the new book may encourage young readers to make strong connections to what they are studying. Students should become more and more aware of what they are learning and why. They should know geography well precisely because they would eventually have to orient themselves on their own. Solid knowledge of the subject is thus absolutely indispensable to them. According to PR Newswire, “The book includes a personalized map of the United States and a list of all 50 states.” Students can use the map to virtually drive across the states. Eventually, they would learn all 50 and be able to move around on their own.

My U.S.A Road Trip may also prompt readers to become responsible people. Geography is no longer just a subject that they study in school. They are expected to apply their knowledge of it in real life. If they want to travel when they grow up, they absolutely need to know their way around the globe. The book offers them a make-believe tour of the states, but it also encourages students to use their imaginations.

The book prompts readers to imagine that they are explorers who are about to make their unique tour of the states. They are their own guides in their new adventure. According to PR Newswire, “Families can personalize this road trip adventure with their child’s name, gender, and current state.” In other words, children can actually go both on a virtual and individual exploration of the states.

Finally, My U.S.A Road Trip is absolutely indispensable to children precisely because many are very interested in getting a driver’s license as soon as possible and traveling independently. In addition, the book could also help children learn geography much more efficiently. Most importantly, it might stimulate them to realize that a strong background in geography is not optional. They need to know the subject as well as possible precisely because sooner or later they would need to apply what they know. Once they acquire their basic skills in geography, they should be able to use them. My U.S.A Road Trip offers an inspiring nod in that direction.