A new school atlas

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32536, 20 February 1971, Page 10

A new school atlas

School Certificate Atlas For New Zealand. Edited by R. D. Mayhill and H. Fullard. Hodder and Stoughton with the University of London Press. 49 pp. Index. Since there are very few other atlases of similar scope and level (and possibly no others properly up to date), this book must we welcomed as filling a very real gap. Generally, this atlas achieves its stated function: it adheres to the curriculum (with proportionate emphasis for the various options), and on the whole it is presented in terms that most fifth formers could follow easily. Although a lot of detail is offered in a relatively small number of maps, only a few seem muddled; there is, for example, an excellent economic map of Asia, Europe, and East Africa showing clearly land use, power, and minerals. On the other hand, the physical map of the South Island is much less satisfactory: names are often dislocated

from their referents, and there is a lot of confusing, superfluous detail (does one really need New Brighton and Riccarton on such a map?). It might also be objected that some parts of this atlas are unnecessary or over-helpful. In a number of aspects it intrudes into the domain of the modern text-book, and in some cases it presents in ready prepared form work which might more profitably be done by the pupil: for example, many teachers give a class a physical map and expect pupils to draw up the profiles for themselves. This overexplicitness could, however, be a useful aid in dealing with lower-stream classes. There is nothing particularly new about the content of this atlas: its novelty lies in its functional selection. AU schools will find a use for it at some level, but many teachers would prefer a slightly less ambitious volume —at a slightly less prohibitive price.