그러나 무엇보다 이 책이 의미를 갖는 것은 아픈 현실들을, 단순히 묘사하는 것이 아니라 내면세계를 들여다봄으로써 이겨 냈다는 점이다. 슐레비츠의 전작들에서 내면세계를 통찰하려 했던 것과 일맥상통한다. 아이는 지도와 노는 방법을 깨닫기 시작했고, 나아가 지도 속에 숨어 있는 넓고도 아름다운 세계를 발견했다. 아이는 이내 미술에 대한 열정으로 타올랐고, 오늘날 가장 주목받는 그림책 작가 중 한 명이 되었다.

Having fled from war in their troubled homeland, a boy and his family are living in poverty in a strange country. Food is scarce, so when the boy's father brings home a map instead of bread for supper, at first the boy is furious. But when the map is hung on the wall, it floods their cheerless room with color. As the boy studies its every detail, he is transported to exotic places without ever leaving the room, and he eventually comes to realize that the map feeds him in a way that bread never could.

The award-winning artist's most personal work to date is based on his childhood memories of World War II and features stunning illustrations that celebrate the power of imagination. An author's note includes a brief description of his family's experience, two of his early drawings, and the only surviving photograph of himself from that time.
How I Learned Geography is a 2009 Caldecott Honor Book and a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.